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Environment, Climate & Sustainability terms
Measuring the planet: climate models, weather, air and water, ecosystems, oceans, hazards, carbon and ESG.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) A method for quantifying a product's environmental impact across every stage from raw materials to disposal. Climate model downscaling Converting coarse global climate model output into finer-resolution projections usable for a specific region or site. Climate scenario analysis Modeling how different future climate and policy pathways would affect an organization's assets, costs or strategy. Climate value-at-risk (climate VaR) An estimate of how much climate change and the transition to low carbon could reduce the value of a portfolio. Physical climate risk The risk to assets, operations or people from climate-related physical hazards, both sudden events and long-term shifts. Reanalysis data A consistent, gridded historical weather record built by rerunning a modern forecast model over past observations. Shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) A set of standardized scenarios describing possible future global development paths, used to frame climate projections. Transition risk The financial risk to a business from the policy, market and technology shifts of moving to a lower-carbon economy. Degree days A measure of how much and for how long temperature departs from a reference point, used to estimate heating and cooling demand. Ensemble forecasting Running many slightly varied forecast simulations to express weather or climate uncertainty as a range instead of one number. Numerical weather prediction (NWP) Forecasting weather by solving the physical equations governing the atmosphere on a computer, using current observations as a start. Sea surface temperature (SST) The temperature of ocean water at or near the surface, a core input to weather, climate and marine-ecosystem models. Urban heat island (UHI) The tendency of built-up urban areas to be significantly warmer than surrounding rural land, mainly from surfaces and structures. Weather normalization Adjusting energy usage or other weather-sensitive data to remove the effect of unusually hot, cold or wet conditions. Air quality index (AQI) A standardized scale that converts measured pollutant concentrations into a single number describing health risk. Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) Airborne solid and liquid particles small enough to be inhaled, measured by size and used as a core air-quality indicator. Sensor calibration Adjusting a sensor's readings against a known reference so its measurements are accurate, not just precise. Water quality index (WQI) A single composite score summarizing several water-quality measurements into one number for easy comparison over time or place. Biodiversity net gain (BNG) A planning requirement that a development leave measurable biodiversity higher than before construction began. Deforestation monitoring Tracking loss of tree cover over time, usually from satellite imagery, to detect and quantify forest clearing. Environmental DNA (eDNA) Genetic material shed by organisms into water, soil or air, sampled and sequenced to detect which species are present. Habitat fragmentation The breaking up of a continuous habitat into smaller, more isolated patches, typically by roads, farmland or development. Species distribution model (SDM) A statistical model that predicts where a species can occur by relating known sightings to environmental variables. AIS vessel tracking Using shipboard AIS radio broadcasts to track vessel position, speed and identity for maritime and environmental analysis. Coastal flood modeling Simulating where and how deeply coastal areas will flood from storm surge, high tides and sea-level rise. Ocean color remote sensing Measuring the color of reflected sunlight from the ocean surface by satellite to estimate chlorophyll, sediment and water quality. Catastrophe model (cat model) A model that simulates potential natural disasters and estimates the resulting financial losses across an insured portfolio. Damage assessment Systematically estimating the scope and severity of destruction after a disaster to guide response and recovery funding. Early warning system (EWS) A monitoring and alerting system that detects a developing hazard and issues warnings before it strikes a population. Evacuation modeling Simulating how a population will move out of a hazard area to plan routes, timing, and capacity before a disaster hits. Exposure data The detailed inventory of assets, locations, values and characteristics at risk that a catastrophe or risk model runs against. Probable maximum loss (PML) The largest loss an insurer or asset owner expects from a single severe event, at a specified probability threshold. Return period The average time expected between two events of a given severity, such as a 100-year flood, based on historical frequency. Wildfire risk modeling Estimating the likelihood and potential severity of wildfire at a given location by combining fuel, weather and ignition data. Carbon accounting Measuring, tracking and reporting an organization's greenhouse gas emissions in standardized units of CO2-equivalent. Carbon credit A tradable certificate representing one tonne of CO2-equivalent avoided, reduced or removed from the atmosphere. Emissions factor A standard value converting a unit of activity, such as fuel burned, into the greenhouse gases it produces. Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions The GHG Protocol's three-tier system for classifying a company's direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Double materiality Assessing both how sustainability issues affect a company's finances and how the company affects the world. ESG reporting Disclosing an organization's environmental, social and governance performance to investors, regulators and the public.