Climate Change: Important Terms

  • Carbon Footprint – A carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that are emitted directly and indirectly by a person, organization, event, or product. These emissions are typically expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) per year.
  • Carbon Bombs – A carbon bomb is a fossil fuel extraction project (coal mine, oil well, gas field) that is estimated to release more than one gigaton (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) over its remaining lifetime.
  • Climate Sensitivity & Feedback Mechanism –
    • Climate sensitivity refers to the magnitude of Earth’s long-term warming response to an increase in radiative forcing.
    • Climate feedback mechanisms are natural processes that can amplify (positive feedback) or dampen (negative feedback) the initial warming caused by increased radiative forcing.

 

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