Adaptation - the process of adjusting to new (climate) conditions in order to reduce risks to valued assets. (source: US Climate Resilience Toolkit)
Business as Usual (BAU) - an emission value in a future year representing emissions that would occur if an attempt had not been made to reduce emissions. In other words, the emission levels if emission reduction activities do not take place.
Carbon Offset - a reduction in or removal of GHG emissions from the atmosphere that can be used to make up for GHG emissions emitted elsewhere.
Carbon Removal or Reduction - processes, either natural or technological, that either remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere or reduce the amount of CO2 emitted in the first place.
Circular Economy - a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. (source: EU Parliament)
Decarbonization - reducing and removing GHG emissions from operational processes, primarily by switching from the use of fossil fuels to carbon-free and renewable energy sources.
Diversion Rate - the amount of waste not sent to the landfill or incinerated compared to the total amount of waste created. Non-landfill diversion can include recycling, composting, or reuse.
Electric Vehicle (EV) - a vehicle that can be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery and is capable of being charged from an external source. (source: US DOE)
Energy Use Intensity (EUI) - a measure of the amount of energy used per square foot of building space.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) - gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, that trap heat from the sun in the Earth's atmosphere. Increased emissions of GHGs into the atmosphere, particularly from human activities, lead to climate change.
GHG Inventory - a list of emission sources and the associated emissions quantified using standardized methods. (source: EPA)
Fly ash - a by-product from the combustion of pulverized coal, and is widely used as an ingredient in hydraulic-cement concrete. Because it improves many desirable properties of concrete, it is introduced either as a separately batched material or as a component of blended cement. (source: America Concrete Institute)
Fossil Fuel - non-renewable resources that formed when prehistoric plants and animals died and were gradually buried by layers of rock. These can include oil, coal, and natural gas. (source: US DOE)
Mitigation - Processes that can reduce the amount and speed of future climate change by reducing emissions of heat-trapping gases or removing them from the atmosphere. (source: US Climate Resilience Toolkit)
Net Zero - also known as "net-zero emissions," is when the human-caused GHG emissions for an entity are reduced to as close to zero as possible, and any remaining emissions are balanced with an equivalent amount of carbon removal. (source: WRI)
Ozone - an invisible, odorless gas that, depending on where it is in the atmosphere, either harms or protects us. Ground-level ozone or “bad” ozone is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between other pollutants in the presence of heat and sunlight.
Potable/Non-Potable Water - potable water is water that humans can safely drink. Non-potable water is water that cannot be safely consumed.
Radon - Radon comes from the natural radioactive breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is an invisible, odorless, tasteless, cancer-causing gas that can enter buildings through the foundation’s numerous cracks, holes, and pipes. (source: Boulder County)
Renewable Energy - energy that comes from unlimited, naturally replenished resources, such as the sun, tides, and wind. (source: US DOE)
Resilience - The capacity of a community, business, or natural environment to prevent, withstand, respond to, and recover from a disruption. (source: US Climate Resilience Toolkit)
Sink - in the context of climate, a natural or artificial process that removes more greenhouse gas from the atmosphere than it releases. This could include plants photosynthesizing or direct air capture technology.
Sequestration - the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) after it is captured from industrial facilities and power plants or removed directly from the atmosphere. This can happen biologically through plants' photosynthesis or geologically by storing CO2 deep underground in porous rock formations. (source: US DOE)
SOV - single occupancy vehicles. Term used in transportation-related goals to refer to trips where there is a single passenger in the vehicle.
Source - in the context of climate, any process or activity that releases a greenhouse gas, an aerosol, or a precursor of a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. (source: EPA)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility. They are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids and include a variety of chemicals like paints, cleaning supplies, pesticides, and more. Concentrations of VOCs are typically higher indoors. (source: EPA)
Xeriscape - landscaping that relies on plants and materials that use minimal to no supplemental water.