Glossary
ABS — Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Adelaide — The state capital of South Australia.
AU — This is the ISO country code for Australia.
Carbon — A fundamental chemical element. It is important to distinguish between carbon and carbon dioxide.
Carbon Credit — A certificate that represents the elimination of a single tonne of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere by some means.
Carbon Dioxide — A gas each of whose molecules consist of a carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas, and is emitted as a result of a wide range of human activities such as burning petrol and burning trees. A single carbon credit offsets one tonne of carbon dioxide.
Carbon Pool — A collection of physical objects containing carbon that are managed so as to maintain a well-defined level of carbon. For example, Forests NSW has created a carbon pool in the form of forests.
Climate Change — A change in the climate. This might involve an increase in the average temperature, or an increase in precipitation each year. Climate must not be confused with weather, which is a short term phenomenon.
CO2e — Carbon Dioxide equivalent. There are several different greenhouse gases (e.g. methane) as well as carbon dioxide and each has a different strength of effect on global warming. However, the world needs a single dimension on which to measure greenhouse gas emissions, so emissions are expressed as CO2 equivalent emissions to provide a single unit of measurement for comparison purposes.
CSIRO — Commonwealth (of Australia) Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. You can visit the CSIRO Website.
Emissions Reduction — A method for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of factories, power stations and residences. The contrasting method is sequestration.
Footprint — In the context of the environment, an entity's "footprint" is the impact that the entity has on the environment. In the context of global warming, an entity's footprint is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide (equivalent) that the entity has emitted or caused to be emitted.
Forests NSW — A branch of the New South Wales (NSW) State Government that manages the state's forests. Forests NSW has established a carbon pool that is implemented using its forests.
Green Power/Energy — Electricity generated using a process whose operation does not emit greenhouse gases. Examples are wind, hydro, or solar generators.
Greenhouse Effect — An atmospheric effect in which carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere reduces the rate at which heat is released from the Earth resulting in a net increase in the Earth's atmospheric temperature.
GST — Goods and Services Tax. A tax levied in Australia on most goods and services. Some other countries have a similar tax called the VAT (Value Added Tax).
Hectare — A unit of area, typically used for measuring land.
Kyoto Protocol — An international agreement signed by almost all of the countries in the world to reduce the rate of greenhouse gas emissions.
Methane — A gas whose molecules consist of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. Methane is a greenhouse gas. Each molecule of methane has a far greater greenhouse effect than each molecule of carbon dioxide. However, humans generate far less methane than carbon dioxide, so carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas.
NGAC — This stands for NSW (New South Wales) Greenhouse Abatement Certificate. A single NGAC is a single carbon credit.
Nitrogen — A gas that makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere. Nitrogen is not a greenhouse gas.
NSW — New South Wales. This a state of Australia.
NSW Greenhouse Gas Registry — A web-based registry created and run by the NSW Government for trading NGAC carbon credits.
Oxygen — A gas that makes up part of the Earth's atmosphere. Oxygen is not a greenhouse gas.
REC — Renewable Energy Certificate.
Sequestration — In the context of global warming, the term "sequestration" refers to the act of removing carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere directly by processing air and forming the carbon into a physical structure not in the atmosphere. For example, trees remove the carbon dioxide from air and store the carbon in their trunks. The alternative to sequestration is emissions reduction.
Ton — An Imperial unit of weight. Tons are not used in discussions about global warming.
Tonne — A metric unit of weight. One tonne is one thousand kilograms. All global warming discussions use tonnes instead of tons.
United Nations — An association of countries established after World War II to prevent another World War by fostering consultation over direct conflict.