Glossary

C

COP26

The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in Glasgow, Scotland in November of 2021.

Carbon avoidance

Carbon avoidance projects contribute to climate action by preventing carbon that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere.

Carbon credit

A carbon credit is a tradable certificate or unit representing the reduction of one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) from the atmosphere.

Carbon neutral

Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon offset

Carbon offsetting refers to the act of using carbon credits to make a claim for offsetting some of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by a company or individual.

Carbon removal

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a process in which carbon dioxide is proactively removed from the atmosphere and sequestered for long periods of time.

E

Ex-post credits

Ex-post credits represent an emission reduction that has already occurred.

G

Greenhouse gases

A greenhouse gas (GHG) is a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

N

Net zero

Net zero emissions are achieved when all emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, caused by all human activity, are balanced by the same amount removed from the atmosphere over a specified period.

P

Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2015.

S

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions

In order to take climate action and become carbon neutral or reach net zero, a company needs to categorise and measure their greenhouse gas emissions.

T

V

VCMI

An international non-profit organisation looking to improve the integrity of the voluntary carbon markets.

Voluntary carbon market

The voluntary carbon markets allow companies that are not regulated under any of the compliance markets to buy and sell carbon credits.