Adaption Adaptation to global warming involves taking action to minimize the effects of global warmingto global warming involves taking action to minimize the effects of global warming
Annex B Countries Annex B countries/Parties: Group of countries included in the Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol that have agreed to a target for their greenhouse gas emissions
Annex I Countries Annex I Parties of UNFCCC include the industrialized countries that were members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 1992, plus countries with economies in transition (EIT Parties)
Annex II Countries  Annex II Parties of UNFCCC consist of the OECD members of Annex I, but not the EIT Parties
Anthropogenic  Anthropogenic effects, processes, objects, or materials are those that are derived from human activities, as opposed to those occurring in natural environments without human influences
AP6 The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (AP6: Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United States) is a climate change approach bringing together key developed and developing countries on practical, pro-growth, technology-driven efforts. The Partnership was established in Sydney in January 2006
Average surface temperature Average surface temperature of the earth is defined as the combined temperature of neartemperature
surface air temperature over land and sea surface temperature

CCS Carbon capture and storage is an approach to mitigating global warming by capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from large point sources such as power plants and subsequently storing it instead of releasing it into the atmosphere
CDM Clean Development Mechanism; arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol allowing industrialised countries (Annex 1 countries) to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries
CER Certified Emission Reductions (CERs); one CER corresponds to one reduced ton of CO₂
CH₄ Methane
CHP Combined heat and power, also known as cogeneration, is an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source
CO₂ Carbon dioxide
CO₂-e Carbon dioxide equivalent; greenhouse gases are converted into CO₂-e by their global warming potential (GWP)
COP Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC

EIT Economies in transition; a transition economy is an economy that is changing from a planned economy to a free market
ERU/CERU Emissions Reduction Unit / Certified Emission Reduction Unit
ET Emissions trading (or cap and trade); an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving GHG reductions
EtOH Ethanol, used as biofuel
EU ETS European Union Emission Trading Scheme; a greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme and the main pillar of EU climate policy

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; leads international efforts to defeat hunger

G8 Group of eight leading industrialised countries: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, the United States of America, Canada (since 1976) and Russia (since 1998); the European Commission is also represented at all the G8 meetings
GHG Greenhouse gases; most important GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
Global warming Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation
Gt Gigatonne, a unit of measure: one gigatonne = one billion tonnes
GWP Global warming potential or greenhouse warming potential: measure of how much a given mass of greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming; relative scale that compares the gas in question to that of the same mass of carbon dioxide

HFC Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; established by WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation; three working groups are established:
WG I: "The physical science basis of climate change"
WG II: "Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability"
WG III: "Mitigation of climate change"
Results of WGs consolidated in "Synthesis report"

JI Joint Implementation: a program under the Kyoto Protocol that allows industrialized countries to meet part of their required cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by paying for projects that reduce emissions in other industrialized countries

Kyoto Protocol Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1997): amendment to the international treaty on climate change, assigning mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the signatory nations

Mitigation Mitigation of global warming involves taking action aimed at reducing the extent of global warming

N₂O Nitrous oxide
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Non-Annex B Countries Non-Annex B Countries/Parties: mostly developing countries
Non-Annex I Countries Non-Annex I Parties of UNFCCC: mostly developing countries
NSIDC National Snow and Ice Data Center

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;
30 member countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

PFC Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
PV Photovoltaics

Radiative forcing Defined as the difference between the incoming radiation energy and the outgoing radiation energy in a given climate system

SAR Specific absorption rate, a physical measure
SF6 Sulphur hexafluoride

UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; adopted 1992, in force since 1994

WHO World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system