Climate Jargon
Simple explanations of unusual climate-related words, phrases, and acronyms.
More than 300 entries. Many have other meanings depending on context.
Most have links to their Wikipedia entry.
Click underlined letters to jump to that section
Acid rain: Rainwater that is more acidic than natural
Aerosol cooling: When tiny air particles cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight into space
Aerosols: Tiny air particles that can absorb or reflect sunlight
Afforestation: Planting trees where there was no forest before
Agrivoltaics: Placing solar panels above agricultural fields, generating electricity and helping plants or animals grow
Albedo: How much sunlight something reflects, like white Arctic ice versus dark open ocean
Alkaline: Minerals or waters that reduce acid
Alternative energy: See renewable energy
Anaerobic: Bacteria living without oxygen, typically releasing methane instead of carbon dioxide
Anthracite: Hard, black, high-carbon coal
Anthropogenic: Caused by humans
Aquifer: Layer of underground rocks holding water; one place could have multiple aquifers underneath
Arable land: Land that can grow crops
Artificial intelligence (AI): Computers and software that learns, solves problems, and delivers words, images, sounds, and videos
Assessment Reports (AR): IPCC reports on the science and impacts of climate change
Atmospheric lifetime: How long a greenhouse gas stays in the atmosphere
Barrel (bbl): 42 gallons or about 159 liters of oil
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV): Electric vehicle that only runs on a big rechargeable battery
Battery energy storage system (BESS): Large group of rechargeable batteries designed to store grid electricity for later use
Battery farm: See Battery energy storage system
Battery storage plant: See Battery energy storage system
Biochar: Charcoal made by burning wood or plants without enough air
Biodegradable: Something that can be broken down by nature
Biodiversity: Total variety of species in one area
Biofuel: Fuel made from plants or animal waste, a renewable energy source
Biomass: Total mass of living things in one area; or dead things used as fuel, like wood pellets
Biome: Large region with distinct climate, plants, and animals, like a desert or grassland
Biosphere: All life on Earth
Biotic: Living things
Bitumen: Solid oil found in oil shale and tar sand
Bituminous coal: Dense, black, medium-carbon coal
Black carbon: Air pollution in the form of soot
Black start: Carefully restoring power to an electric grid after a large blackout that shuts down power plants
Blackout: When part or all of an electric grid stops delivering power to customers
British thermal unit (Btu): U.S. energy unit, 1,055 Joules; 3,412 Btu is 1 kilowatt-hour
Btu/h or Btu/hr: U.S. power unit, 10,000 Btu/h is 2.9 kilowatts; sometimes confusingly abbreviated to Btu
Bunker fuel: Thick, heavy, inexpensive oil burned in ship engines
Cap and trade: When governments put a declining cap on greenhouse gases, then companies buy and sell allowances under that cap
Capacity factor: Ratio of energy produced over potential, 100% or less
Carbon capture: Removing carbon dioxide released at the source
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): Carbon capture plus carbon sequestration
Carbon credit: One metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced, avoided, or removed from the air
Carbon cycle: How carbon moves between living things, water, air, soil, and underground
Carbon dioxide (CO2): Main greenhouse gas causing global warming and climate change
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e): How much a gas increases global warming compared to carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide removal: Taking carbon dioxide out of the air
Carbon emission: Release of greenhouse gases into the air, usually carbon dioxide or methane
Carbon emission trading: Buying and selling carbon credits that decline over time
Carbon flux: Movement of carbon from one part of the carbon cycle to another
Carbon footprint: Carbon dioxide equivalent released into the air by someone or something
Carbon intensity: Amount of carbon released per unit of fuel or energy
Carbon neutral: When greenhouse gases released equal greenhouse gases removed and stored
Carbon offset: Investing in projects that reduce, avoid, or remove greenhouse gases
Carbon price: Putting a price on greenhouse gases so that a free market can reduce climate change
Carbon sequestration: Storing carbon for a very long time to reduce climate change
Carbon sink: Something that removes carbon dioxide from the air, like oceans and some forests
Carbon tax: Tax on greenhouse gases to cause reductions, pay for other reductions, or adapt to climate change
Carbon trading: See carbon emission trading
Carbon uptake: Carbon dioxide absorbed by plants or the ocean
CH4: Methane
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Family of chemicals that harm the ozone layer
Climate: Long-term weather patterns of a region
Climate anxiety: Worries created by climate change or forecasts of climate change
Climate change: Long-term changes to Earth’s weather caused by human activity, including global warming, rainfall changes, and ocean acid increases
Climate change adaptation: Adjusting to the effects of climate change
Climate change denial: Denying that humans are causing climate change
Climate change feedbacks: Loops that make climate change worse as climate changes more
Climate change mitigation: Actions to reduce greenhouse gases
Climate change vulnerability: How humans and nature could be harmed by climate change
Climate crisis: Urgent need for immediate action to reduce the harms of climate change
Climate coach: Someone who helps others switch appliances to electric
Climate emergency: See climate crisis
Climate guilt: Feeling guilty about your greenhouse gases
Climate impact: Effects of something on our climate, like burning coal for heat and power
Climate lag: Delay between something that causes climate change, and actual climate changes
Climate migration: When climate change forces people to move
Climate misinformation: Lies about climate change causes, effects, and solutions
Climate model: Complex software running on giant computers used to forecast climate change
Climate refugees: People forced to move because of climate change
Climate resilience: Resist or quickly recover from climate hazards
Climate skeptic: Someone who doesn’t believe that climate change is happening, or that humans are causing it, or that it’s a big problem
Climate silence: Silence about climate change, based on the mistaken belief that most people don’t want to reduce climate change
Climate sensitivity: How much our climate will change after changes in greenhouse gases
Climatic zones: Areas of the Earth with similar climate, like deserts or tundra
Climatology: Scientific study of climate
CO2: Carbon dioxide
Coal mine methane: Methane released into the air during coal mining
Coalbed methane: Methane trapped in underground coal
Coastal flooding: When dry land is covered by the ocean from a storm surge or sea level rise
Coastal inundation: See coastal flooding
Cogeneration: Using both heat and electric power from one energy source
Combined Heat and Power (CHP): See cogeneration
Conference Of Parties (COP): United Nations organization to review and carry out the Framework Convention on Climate Change
Controlled burn: Carefully setting a fire to reduce future wildfire risks
COP26: 26th meeting of the Conference of Parties, held in 2021
Community solar: Solar farms that homes and businesses can buy power from
Compound: Different elements held together by chemical bonds, like water is H2O
Conventional power: Electric power from fuels like coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy
Coral bleaching: When a coral reef in hot water ejects algae living inside, turning the reef white and sometimes killing the coral
Cradle-to-grave: See life-cycle assessment
Crop residue: Leftovers after harvesting and processing a crop
Cultural burn: Traditional Native American controlled burn
Curtailment: Shutting down some electricity sources when too much power could damage the grid
Data center (DC): Special building with lots of computers and a fast Internet connection, that uses a lot of electricity
Decarbonization: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change
Deforestation: Removing or destroying a forest
Department of Energy (DOE): Part of U.S. government in charge of energy policy and research; developing nuclear power and nuclear weapons; and nuclear waste storage
Desertification: Land turning into desert because of climate change
Direct air capture (DAC): Removing carbon dioxide directly from the air
Direct emissions: Greenhouse gases released by the operations of something
Distributed generation: Small electric power systems near where the energy is used, like rooftop solar
Drought: Unusually long time without rain or snow
Duck curve: Graph of electricity production without wind and solar over 24 hours, that looks like a side-view drawing of a floating duck
Dust storm: When high winds blow dry dust and sand into the air that can travel thousands of miles, causing many problems but solving others
E-bike: See Electric bicycle
Ecosystem: Community of living things plus their environment
El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Global climate changes in cycles that last several years, caused by changing winds and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean; El Niño is one phase, the opposite is La Niña
Electric bicycle: Bicycle with an electric motor and rechargeable battery
Electric vehicle (EV): Vehicle powered only by electricity from a large rechargeable battery
Electric grid: System that supplies electricity to most locations, including power plants, storage, substations, and overhead transmission lines
Electricity supplier: Company that sells electricity to customers, sent over wires operated by a separate power company
Electrification: Replacing systems that burn fossil fuels with systems that use electricity
Electrolysis: Using electricity and water to make hydrogen and oxygen
Emission: Release gases or particles into the air
Energy efficiency: Using less energy to provide the same service
ENERGY STAR: EPA program to label products that meet high energy efficiency standards
Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS): Producing electric power from underground heat after drilling and fracking
Enhanced oil recovery: Producing more oil from a well by pumping in high-pressure carbon dioxide
Enteric fermentation: When livestock, especially cattle, produce the greenhouse gas methane during digestion
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Part of U.S. government that protects the environment through environmental impact reports, research, education, and enforcing environmental laws
Evaporative demand: How much water that dry air, high temperatures, wind, and sunlight can remove from a surface
Evapotranspiration: Water evaporation plus water vapor released by plants growing
Exponential growth: Growth that doubles every time period
Extreme heat: See heat wave
Extreme weather: Weather like heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and droughts
Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV): Electric vehicle with a gasoline generator to recharge the battery
Fire hardening: Preparing buildings and surrounding land to resist wildfires
Fire weather: Hot, dry, windy days that make small wildfires more likely to grow very fast
Fluorocarbons: Family of powerful greenhouse gases
Flaring: Burning unwanted gases at an oil well or refinery
Floodplain: Land covered by a river when it floods
Fossil fuel: Fuel originally mined or pumped from underground, like coal, oil, gasoline, diesel, propane, and natural gas
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA): Law that requires release of most government documents on request
Fracking: Breaking underground rocks using pressurized liquids, mostly used to produce more oil and natural gas
Fuel cell: Device that makes electricity using hydrogen from a tank plus oxygen from the air
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV): Vehicle that uses a fuel cell to run an electric motor
Fugitive emissions: Greenhouse gas leaks, like natural gas leaking from pipelines
General Circulation Model (GCM): Computer software used to forecast climate change
Geothermal power: Electricity made from underground heat
Gigatonnes: One billion metric tons
Gigatons: One billion U.S. tons, or one billion metric tons
Geographic Information System (GIS): Computer mapping
Glacial retreat: When glaciers shrink as they melt faster than snow is added
Glacier: Dense, long-lived body of ice from unmelted snowfall, that moves downhill under its own weight
Global warming: Rapid increase in worldwide average temperature, starting in 1970
Global Warming Potential (GWP): How much heat a greenhouse gas traps compared to carbon dioxide
Gray hydrogen: See Steam methane reforming
Green building: Building built with sustainable materials and high energy efficiency
Green hydrogen: Hydrogen made using renewable energy and water, without releasing greenhouse gases
Green power: See renewable energy
Greenhouse effect: Trapping the Sun’s heat like a greenhouse
Greenhouse gas (GHG): Gas that traps the Sun’s heat and causes global warming, mainly carbon dioxide and methane
Greenhushing: When a company avoids publicizing genuine work to reduce climate change
Greenwashing: Company advertising with misleading information about its climate efforts
Groundwater: Underground water, often pumped from wells
Group of 20 (G20): Biggest economies in the world, including United States, European Union, and China
GWP-100: Global Warming Potential of a greenhouse gas over the first 100 years
GWP-20: Global Warming Potential of a greenhouse gas over the first 20 years
Habitat: Natural home or environment of a living thing
Halocarbon: Family of chemicals, some are powerful greenhouse gases that also harm the ozone layer
Heat pump: System that uses electricity to move heat from one place to another, like moving heat from cold outside air into homes
Heat wave: Days or weeks of unusually hot weather
Hybrid: Vehicle that runs on gasoline, with a small battery and electric motor to improve mileage
Hydrocarbon: Stuff made mostly of hydrogen and carbon, like coal, oil, natural gas, and methane
Hydroelectric power: Electricity produced from water running through turbines at a dam
Hydroelectricity: See hydroelectric power
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Family of powerful greenhouse gases
Hydrology: Science of Earth’s water on land
Hydropower: See hydroelectric power
Hydrosphere: All the water on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, underground water, glaciers, clouds, and water vapor
Ice age: When most of the Earth was covered by ice sheets; the last ice age ended 11,700 years ago
Ice loss: Melting and shrinking of ocean ice, ice shelves, ice sheets, or glaciers; only melting ice sheets or glaciers add to sea level rise
Ice sheet: Ice covering a very large land area, like Greenland and Antarctica
Ice shelf: Glacier floating on the ocean but still attached to land
Independent system operator (ISO): Runs a regional electricity grid separate from power companies
Indirect emissions: Greenhouse gases released by all suppliers and product users; Scope 2 plus Scope 3 emissions
Industrial revolution: When machines powered by fossil fuels started replacing other energy sources, starting in the 1800s
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Law creating tax credits and other support for electric vehicles, home energy upgrades, renewable energy, and other climate actions
Infrared (IR): Heat transmitted by an object without contact, like the Sun
Inorganic compound: Combination of elements without carbon
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): United Nations body that produces reports on the science of climate change and its effects
Invasive species: Plants and animals that are not native to an area and spread fast, replacing native plants and animals
Investor-owned utility (IOU): Private company that supplies electricity, natural gas, or both
Iron fertilization: Adding iron to the ocean to increase plant growth and capture carbon dioxide
Jet stream: Fast, narrow air currents 10 kilometers or 33,000 feet up
Joule: Metric energy unit; 3,600,000 Joules is 1 Kilowatt-hour
Kilowatt-hour (kWh): 1,000 Watt-hours of electric energy
Kyoto Protocol: 1997 treaty to reduce climate change, replaced by the Paris Agreement
Landfill: Place for solid waste disposal
Least Developed Countries (LDC): 44 developing countries with the lowest economic development
Levelized cost of energy (LCOE): Lifetime cost of an electricity generating system, divided by the total electricity delivered, used for comparisons
Levelized cost of storage (LCOE): Lifetime cost of an electricity storage system, divided by the total electricity delivered back to the grid, used for comparisons
Life-cycle assessment: Measuring lifetime climate impacts
Lignite: Soft, brown, low-carbon coal
Liquefied natural gas (LNG): Natural gas pressurized and cooled to a very low temperature, then shipped to other countries
Liquified petroleum gas (LPG): Pressurized propane and other gases from oil wells
Lithium NMC battery: Rechargeable battery made with lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt
Lithium-ion battery: Rechargeable battery made with lithium and other chemicals
Marine mammal: Air-breathing, warm-blooded animal that lives in the ocean, like whales, sea otters, and walrus
Megacity: City with a population over 10 million, like Beijing, Mexico City, and New York City
Megawatt-hour (mWh): 1 million Watt-hours of electric energy, or 1,000 kilowatt-hours
Methane (CH4): Greenhouse gas 80 times worse than carbon dioxide, second-worst cause of climate change
Metric ton: 1,000 kilograms or 1.1 U.S. tons
Microclimate: Climate of a small, specific place, like an ocean beach versus a nearby mountain top
Microplastics: Extremely small plastic particles that harm people and the environment, and contribute to climate change
Montreal Protocol: Treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by reducing gases that destroy ozone
National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC): Government group that coordinates U.S. wildfire response and forecasts wildfire risks
Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC): Under the Paris Agreement, each country commits to reduce greenhouse gases by an amount they choose
Natural gas: Fossil fuel pumped from underground that’s 95% methane
Neighborhood-scale decarbonization: When an entire neighborhood switches to all-electric, then permanently shuts off the natural gas supply
Net metering: Electric customers with solar panels get credit when they send energy to the grid
Net zero emissions: Reducing greenhouse gases releaseds plus removing greenhouse gases to reach zero
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx): Family of gases containing nitrogen and oxygen, an important part of smog, that can increase or decrease global warming
Nitrous oxide (N2O): Powerful greenhouse gas 273 times worse than carbon dioxide, also harms the ozone layer
Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY): Local opposition to new projects, especially affordable housing
Nonbiodegradable: Something that can’t be broken down by nature
Nonlinear: When changes in one thing cause a much larger change in something else
Nuclear power: Producing electricity using mined uranium while creating radioactive waste
Nuclear reactor: Power plant using nuclear power to produce electricity
Ocean acidification: When the ocean absorbs too much carbon dioxide and becomes more acidic, harming life in the sea
Oceanography: Science of the Earth’s oceans
Off river pumped hydro: Pumped hydro that‘s not on a river
Oil shale: Rocks containing solid oil, producing more greenhouse gases than pumped oil
Organic compound: Contains carbon and other elements, different from organic food
Oxidize: When something combines with oxygen, like coal burning into carbon dioxide
Ozone: Rare kind of oxygen found in the ozone layer, also part of smog
Ozone Depleting Substance (ODS): Gas that reduces ozone in the ozone layer, creating the ozone hole
Ozone hole: Large area over Antarctica with much less ozone, so more ultraviolet from the Sun gets through
Ozone layer: Air layer about 25 kilometers or 15 miles up, with slightly more ozone that absorbs most ultraviolet from the Sun
Paris Agreement: 2016 treaty to limit global warming to less than 2 °C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels, ideally less than 1.5 °C (2.7 °F)
Particulate matter (PM): Air particles like soot and dust
Parts per billion (ppb): Number of parts of something found in one billion (1,000,000,000) parts of something else; 1/2 teaspoon of oil in an Olympic-sized swimming pool is about 1 ppb
Parts per million (ppm): Number of parts of something found in one million (1,000,000) parts of something else; 1 teaspoon of oil in a cube of water 5.6 feet on each side, is about 1 ppm
Parts per trillion (ppt): Number of parts of something found in one trillion (1,000,000,000,000) parts of something else; 1 teaspoon of oil in 3,000 feet of water over a football field, is about 1 ppt
Passive solar: Building designed to collect and store heat from the Sun in the winter, but not in the summer
Peak oil: When worldwide oil pumping starts dropping permanently; “we didn't leave the Stone Age because we ran out of rocks”
Peaker plant: Electric power plant that runs only when there is peak demand, at a much higher price than other power sources
Peatland: Wetland where dead plants build up over time, creating a carbon sink
Per-capita emissions: Amount of greenhouse gases released per person in a country
Permafrost: Ground that stays frozen all year
Photosynthesis: Plants using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into living tissue
Photovoltaic (PV): Special material in solar panels that converts sunlight into electricity
Phytoplankton: Microscopic plants floating in the ocean
Planetary boundaries: Nine tipping points that could push our planet into permanent harmful changes
Plankton: Microscopic plants and animals floating in oceans or fresh water
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV): Hybrid vehicle with a small rechargeable battery that can be plugged in, but also runs on gasoline only
PM10: Tiny air particles 10 micrometers (0.0004 inch) or smaller, that cause disease
PM2.5: Tiny air particles 2.5 micrometers (0.0001 inch) or smaller, that penetrate deep into lungs and cause disease
Polar ice cap: Ice covering the Arctic Ocean around the North Pole, or Antarctica around the South Pole
Positive feedback loop: When one thing increases, another increases, causing the first to increase
Power grid: See Electric grid
Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): Contract to buy electricity from a company not owned by the local electric company
Precipitation whiplash: See Weather whiplash
Pumped hydro: System that pumps water to a higher dammed lake to store energy, then makes electricity when water flows back through turbines to the lower dammed lake
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity: See pumped hydro
Prescribed burn: See controlled burn
Radiation: Energy released by something, like sunlight from the Sun or radioactivity from nuclear fuel
Radiation budget: How much energy the Earth gains from the Sun, changed by ice sheets, clouds, and greenhouse gases
Radioactive waste: Hazardous waste from mining, refining, and using nuclear fuel
Rainforest: Dense forest with high rainfall
Range shift: When plants or animals move to higher elevations or higher latitudes due to climate change
Reflectivity: How much something reflects sunlight
Reforestation: Planting trees in areas that used to have forests
Relative sea level rise: Sea level rise plus the local rise or fall of land
Renewable energy: Energy from natural sources that are not used up, like wind and solar
Reservoir emissions: Greenhouse gases released from lakes formed by dams, created as dead plants and animals decay underwater
Residence time: See atmospheric lifetime
Retrofitting: Improving energy efficiency of older systems, like replacing a gas heater with an electric heat pump
Rewilding: Restoring natural processes to an area, including native plants and animals
Risk assessment: Forecasting future events that might harm something
Rooftop PV: See rooftop solar power
Rooftop solar power: Solar panels supplying electric power, mounted on a roof
Round trip efficiency: Ratio of energy output over energy input for a storage system, always less than 100%
Sandstorm: See dust storm
Scenario: Reasonable and simplified description of how the future could develop
Scope 1 emissions: Greenhouse gases released directly from operations
Scope 2 emissions: Indirect greenhouse gases released from purchased energy
Scope 3 emissions: All other indirect greenhouse gases released by suppliers or users of something, hard to measure
Sea level: Average height of the ocean at a shoreline
Sea level rise (SLR): Increase in sea level due to melting of glaciers and ice sheets, plus thermal expansion of seawater
Sea surface temperature (SST): Temperature of the ocean’s surface
Sedimentation: When particles fall to the bottom of a river, lake, or ocean, creating layers of sediment
Shale oil: Oil produced from oil shale
Short ton: One U.S. ton, 2,000 pounds or 0.91 metric tons
Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Group of 57 low-lying island nations or territories that are vulnerable to sea level rise
Small modular reactor (SMR): Small nuclear reactor built in a factory then shipped for installation
Snowpack: Seasonal buildup of slow-melting snow
Smart thermostat: Thermostat with Wi-Fi Internet connection
Soil carbon: Carbon stored in the soil
Solar cycle: Slight changes in the Sun’s energy over 11-year cycles with minor climate effects
Solar farm: See solar power plant
Solar power plant: Group of grid-connected solar panels in one area
Solar radiation: Sunlight including infrared and ultraviolet
Steam methane reforming (SMR): Making hydrogen using natural gas and steam, while releasing greenhouse gases
Storm surge: Temporary sea level rise caused by a hurricane or storm blowing seawater toward shore
Stratosphere: Layer of the atmosphere between 20 kilometers or 65,000 feet high, and 50 kilometers or 164,000 feet
Streamflow: Volume of water passing someplace on a stream or river, often measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) or cubic meters per second
Subsidence: Land dropping relative to its surroundings, often caused by pumping underground water
Sulfate aerosols: Air particles containing sulfur, that reflect sunlight back into space
Sulfur dioxide (SO2): Gas created by burning some fossil fuels that creates air pollution, acid rain, and sulfate aerosols
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6): Very powerful greenhouse gas 17,500 times worse than carbon dioxide, used in some electrical systems
Sustainable development: Meeting the needs of the present without harming the future
Tailings: Mining leftovers
Tar sand: Rocks containing solid oil, producing more greenhouse gases than pumped oil
Telemedicine: Doctor appointment using smartphone video calls and sometimes other gadgets
Temperate zone: Climate bands around the Earth that are hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and moderate in the spring and fall
Terrestrial: Dry land
Teragram: 1 trillion grams or 1 million metric tons
Thermal expansion: When warming seawater expands, adding to sea level rise
Thermal pollution: Hotter water that harms the environment
Thermohaline circulation: Ocean currents caused by changes in temperature and saltiness
Tidal power: Using ocean tides to make electricity
Tipping points: Climate limits that if passed could lead to large, permanent changes
Trace gas: Less common gas found in our atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrogen oxides, and ozone
Tree line: Upper elevation or upper latitude where trees stop growing
Trophic level: Position of a plant or animal in a food chain or food web
Troposphere: Lowest layer of the atmosphere up to 20 kilometers or 65,000 feet, where weather happens
Tundra: Treeless areas in the Arctic, with short growing seasons, low temperatures, and permafrost
Ultraviolet (UV): Invisible part of sunlight mostly blocked by the ozone layer, causing sunburns but needed by skin to make Vitamin D
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Structure for governments to work together on climate change
Urban heat island: City with temperatures higher than surrounding areas, because it absorbs more heat from the Sun
Utility: Private business or government agency that provides electricity or natural gas
Valley fever: Lung infection caused by breathing in certain fungus spores that grow in dry soil, mostly in the U.S. Southwest
Virtual Power Plant (VPP): Centrally managed collection of small power sources or appliances that help the electric grid
Volatile organic compound: Organic compound easily released to the air, can be a greenhouse gas or air pollution
Volcanic ash: Tiny chunks of rock thrown into the air during volcano eruptions, eventually falling back down
Wastewater: Used water containing waste
Water cycle: How water moves around on Earth between freshwater, seawater, snow, ice, underground water, and water vapor
Water vapor: Evaporated water in the air, natural greenhouse gas that can form clouds
Wave power: Using ocean waves to make electricity
Weather: Conditions in the atmosphere at a specific time, like rain, wind, and temperature
Weather whiplash: Rapid swings between weather extremes caused by climate change, like drought followed by flooding
Weatherization: Adding building features like insulation to reduce heating and cooling needs
Wildlife corridor: Strip of nature connecting wildlife areas separated by highways or development
Wind farm: Group of wind turbines in one area
Wind turbine: Tall machine with long fan-like blades that makes electricity when the wind blows
Yes in my backyard (YIMBY): Local support for new projects, especially affordable housing
Zero emissions: Something that does not produce any greenhouse gases
Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV): How the California Energy Commission incorrectly groups battery electric vehicles, fuel cell EVs, and and plug-in hybrid EVs
Zooplankton: Microscopic animals floating in oceans or fresh water
100-year flood: Severe floods with a one-in-100 or 1 percent chance of happening every year
About
Answering “What does that mean?” in clear, simple language.
Designed for American readers.
These are not comprehensive definitions.
By Rex Sanders, CC BY-SA 4.0
Updated July 5, 2025
https://climatejargon.com