NST finals definitions part 3

Glacier

Large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that orignates on land and moves down slope under the infuence of its own weight and gravity.

Heatwaves

Period of abnormally hot weather generally lasting more than 2 days.

Drought

Deficiency in precipitation over an extended period.

Wildfire

Uncontrolled fire that burns in a natural area, such as a forest, grassland, or prairie.

Precipitation

Process in which condensed water in clouds falls back to the Earth as rain, sleet, snow, or hail.

Flood

Occurs when water overflows onto land that is typically dry, often caused by events such as heavy rainfall, snowmelt, storm surges that overwhelm natural or human-made structures.

National Climate Action Plans / Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Each country’s self-defined climate action plan under the Paris Agreement.

Net Zero

Balancing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted with the amount removed from the atmosphere.

Carbon pricing

Carbon taxes or markets (cap and trade systems) that put a price on emissions. Impacts businesses by raising the cost of carbon-intensive operations.

Paris Agreement

International treaty adopted in 2015 by 195 countries. Speaks of the vision of fully realizing technology development an dtransfer for both improving resilience to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Goal: limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celcius, ideally 1.5 degrees Celcius.