Sustainability and Climate Change - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on sustainability, climate change, and related frameworks.

Sustainability

Broad aim of preserving resources; no single universal definition; used to indicate actions across four pillars to maintain resource availability.

Four Pillars of Sustainability

Human, social, economic, and environmental dimensions that together ensure sustainable outcomes.

Socio-ecological systems

Integrated social and ecological parts of the world and their interactions, with implications for policy and practice.

Systems thinking

Approach focusing on goals, boundaries, and dynamics of systems to understand interconnections.

Planetary Boundaries

Framework identifying critical Earth-system processes and a 'safe operating space' for humanity.

Climate Change boundary

Boundary within Planetary Boundaries related to climate stability and greenhouse gas concentrations.

Biosphere Integrity

Planetary boundary concerning biodiversity loss and ecosystem function.

Biogeochemical Flows

Boundary about disruptions to nitrogen and phosphorus cycles from human activity.

Land-System Change

Boundary addressing deforestation and widespread land-use changes.

Freshwater Use

Boundary reflecting sustainable use of freshwater resources.

Novel Entities

Boundary concerning synthetic chemicals and new pollutants entering the environment.

Ocean Acidification

Boundary related to changing ocean pH; approaching threshold with impacts on marine life.

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Boundary about ozone layer recovery; recovery aided by measures like the Montreal Protocol.

Brundtland Report (Our Common Future)

1987 report that defined sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets present needs while safeguarding future generations’ ability to meet theirs; balances economy, society, and environment.

Poverty and Inequality

Major obstacles to sustainability; resource scarcity and unequal access hinder policy effectiveness.

Population Growth

Rapid increases in population that intensify pressure on natural resources.

Energy Crisis

Global concern about dependence on fossil fuels and the need for a shift to sustainable energy.

Unsustainable Industrialization

Industrial practices that cause excessive pollution, deforestation, and resource depletion.

Renewable Energy Transition

Shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro) to reduce emissions.

Paris Agreement

2015 treaty aiming to limit global warming well below 2°C (ideally 1.5°C); uses nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

Countries’ self-defined climate action plans under the Paris Agreement.

Dasgupta Review

Economic assessment of biodiversity; argues nature should be treated as an asset and integrated into decision-making.

Impact Inequality

Difference between growing produced/human capital and declining natural capital, per Dasgupta’s findings.

Biodiversity as an Asset

Idea that biodiversity and ecosystem services underpin economic resilience and production.

Earth System

Integrated view of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere and their interactions.

Great Acceleration

Rapid, large-scale increases in human activity (population, energy use, emissions) since the 1950s.

Anthropocene

Proposed geological epoch characterized by significant human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems.

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

Methods to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, including natural sequestration and techno‑solutions; requires energy and storage.

Nature-based CDR

CDR approaches using natural systems (forests, wetlands) to remove CO2, with potential ecological side effects.

Technological CDR

Industrial processes to remove CO2 (e.g., direct air capture); typically energy-intensive and needs clean energy.

Emerging Food Technologies

Innovations like cellular fermentation, cultured meat, plant-based alternatives, and controlled environment agriculture to reduce food-system emissions.

Mobility Solutions

Low-carbon transport options (electric vehicles, biofuels, hydrogen, synthetic fuels) and battery recycling considerations.

DICE Model

Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy model that optimizes consumption and abatement over time to study climate-economy trade-offs.

Ramsey Equation

r = δ + ηg; formula for the social discount rate linking time preference, growth, and elasticity of marginal utility.

Social Cost of Carbon (SCC)

Economic damages associated with one additional ton of CO2 emitted; used to value climate impacts in policy.

UNFCCC

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; aims to prevent dangerous human interference with climate; adopted 1994.

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; assesses scientific evidence and informs policy decisions on climate change.

COP

Conference of the Parties; annual meetings of the UNFCCC to negotiate and adopt climate measures.

Hartwick’s Rule

Invest rents from exhaustible resources into other productive assets to maintain consumption; contrasts weak vs strong sustainability.

Weak Sustainability

Assumes natural capital can be substituted by other forms of capital; KN not essential.

Strong Sustainability

Argues some natural capital is essential and must be kept intact due to irreversibility and non-substitutability.

Genuine Savings

World Bank metric offsetting natural capital depreciation to measure true wealth beyond GDP.

Blue Economy

Economic activities related to oceans and seas (fishing, shipping, tourism, offshore energy) with sustainability focus.

Sustainable Blue Economy

Blue economy that conserves marine ecosystems while delivering economic and social benefits.

GeoST (Geography of Sustainability Transitions)

Sub-field focusing on spatial dimensions (place, scale) of sustainability transitions.

Territorial Embeddedness

How local institutions and geographic context influence technology development and transitions.

Technological Innovation Systems (TIS)

Framework analyzing the development and diffusion of new technologies across regions and sectors.

Multi-Level Perspective (MLP)

Analytical framework linking niches, regimes, and landscapes to study transitions; emphasizes levels and interactions.

Local Node, Global Network

Idea that local places connect to wider global networks, creating multi-scalar transition dynamics.