| Term |
Definition |
| A |
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| Agenda
21 |
Agenda
21 emerged from the 1992 Earth
Summit as a programme of local
action to achieve sustainable
development. It addresses social
and economic dimensions, conservation
and management of resources for
development, strengthening the
roles of major groups and identifying
means of implementation. See click
here for more information. |
| Air
Pollution |
Air
pollution includes particulate
and chemical contaminants which
are released into the atmosphere
as a result of both human activities
and natural factors. These contaminants
have a range of potential negative
health and environmental impacts. |
| Alternative
Waste Technologies |
The
processes, practices and procedures
that recover resource value from
materials that would have otherwise
been disposed of to landfill. |
| Animal
Welfare Screens |
An
investment screen applied by socially
responsible investment (SRI) funds
on the basis of excluding companies
that gain revenue from conducting
cruel or inhumane animal testing
or promoting companies with good
animal welfare polices such s
no animal testing of products,
organic and biodynamic farming
practices. |
| Anthroposhphere |
Also
known as the 'humansphere' refers
to the structures and systems
that have been created by direct
human activity |
| B |
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| Basel
Convention |
The
Basel Convention is an International
Treaty that seeks to control the
movement of Hazardous Waste across
international boundaries. A central
component of the Convention is
the minimisation of hazardous
waste production in order to protect
human health and the environment. |
| Biomimmicry |
Biomimicry
refers to the design of products
and processes on the basis of
understanding the functions of
natural organisms and ecosystems
and applying these lessons to
the mode of manufacture and the
operation of the product itself. |
| Biosphere |
The
collective sum of all living organisms
and the systems that support and
are capable of supporting life. |
| C |
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| Carbon
Beta |
The
carbon exposure or risk of a company
when viewed in comparison with
either its industry sector or
the market as a whole. For instance
if a mining company is emitting
twice the carbon dioxide equivalent
emissions as competitors within
its industry, it would face a
severe competitive disadvantage
under a carbon trading scheme.
With a high carbon beta the company
is less attractive as an investment
option. |
| Carbon
Sequestration |
The
capture and medium-to-long term
storage of atmospheric carbon
(primarily carbon dioxide) into
carbon 'sinks' such as forests,
through the process of photosynthesis
convert carbon dioxide, water
and light (solar energy) into
carbohydrates. Carbon sequestration
can also involve other sinks such
as soil, oceans and geological
formations (see geosequestration). |
| Corporate
Cognitive Dissonance |
The
inconsistency between corporate
attititudes (beliefs) on sustainability,
as expresesd in policy statements
and annual reports, and the actions
of corporates that run coutner
to sustainability principles. |
| Corporate
Law Economic Reform Program CLERP
9 |
CLERP
9 was the ninth chapter of the
Australian Governments' Corporate
Law Economic Reform Program that
dealt specifically with Corporate
Disclosure. The proposed reforms
were built into the Corporate
Law Economic Reform Program (Audit
Reform and Corporate Disclosure)
Act 2004, also known as the CLERP
9 Act, which represented a significant
amendment to the Corporations
Act 2001. CLERP 9 involved a number
of changes to corporate disclosure
and corporate governance laws,
which while providing for flexibility,
also provide guidance on acceptable
corporate behaviour and effective
enforcement should a breach occur. |
| Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) |
CSR
is a framework or vision for business
to integrate considerations of
issues such as impact on the environment,
human rights, workplace practices,
impact on and relationship with
communities and society in general,
globalisation, ethics, corruption
and philanthropy into their core
decision-making processes. |
| D |
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| Dryland
Salinity |
Dryland
salinity refers to the degradation
of land due to increasing concentrations
of salt in soils and watercourses.
Specifically, the term refers
to salinity in areas which are
not irrigated. It includes salinity
which is naturally occurring,
also known as primary salinity,
and that which has developed as
a result of human activity in
the affected areas, otherwise
known as induced or secondary
salinity. |
| E |
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| Ecolabelling |
Ecolabelling
refers to voluntary environmental
performance certification and
labelling of products or services.
An 'ecolabel' indicates overall
environmental preference of a
product or service within a specific
product/service category based
on life cycle considerations. |
| Ecological
Footprint |
Ecological
Footprint (EF) is a per capita
measure of the land equivalent
requirement to produce the resources
that a given population consumes
and to assimilate the wastes that
the population produces. The ecological
footprint thus estimates a population's
consumption of energy, food, and
materials in terms of the area
of biologically productive land
or sea required to produce the
natural resources or, in the case
of energy, to absorb the corresponding
carbon dioxide emissions. |
| Ecosystem
Services |
The
range of services that are provided
by the ecosystem (biosphere) including
atmosphere and climate maintenance,
water regulation and supply, biodiversity
and genetic resources, soil formation
and raw materials in addition
to food production. |
| Environmental
Acquis |
The
body of European Union law concerning
the environment. |
| Environmental
Externalities |
The
damage done to the environment
by pollution that impacts on a
range of third parties who were
not involved with the activity
that caused the environmental
pollution in the first instance.
The cost of these negative environmental
impacts are also not paid for
by the company or organisation
that caused the impacts, but by
the broader society at large. |
| Environmental
Pollution |
Refers
to environmentally damaging emissions
arising as a result of human activity
by way of emissions to air (for
example greenhouse gases, oxides
of nitrogen and oxides of sulphur),
water (for example sewage and
agricultural run off) and land
(for example waste to landfill
and contaminated soils). |
| Environmental
Taxes |
The
imposition of a tax regime in
order to internalise previously
externalised costs of resource
extraction, manufacture, distribution
and waste generation. |
| Environmental
Trading Markets |
Trading
of assets other than monetary
units, - eg. carbon, NOX, SOX,
salinity, biodiversity, water. |
| Erosion
|
The
wearing away of soil and rock
as a result of a variety of processes,
including natural weathering.
Erosion is usually used to describe
the impact of human interference
on these processes, including
inappropriate land use and land
clearing resulting in raised water
tables and accelerated run-off
and flooding. |
| European
Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading
Scheme |
The
European Union Greenhouse Gas
Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
is a framework for companies from
EU member states to enable the
trading of carbon allowances,
and so assist member states in
meeting their obligations under
the Kyoto Protocol. |
| Excludability |
Used
to describe private property (and
externalities) where the benefits
(or costs) of an item or event
can be excluded through the exercising
of ownership rights from other
individuals. |
| Extended
Producer Responsibility |
EPR
is the extension of a producer
responsibility into the post-consumer
stage of their product's life
cycle. It involves a variety of
product takeback, economic instruments
and performance standard initiatives
aimed at spreading the cost of
improved environmental outcomes
throughout the supply chain. Either
on a regulatory or voluntary basis.
EPR is often referred to as product
stewardship, however it should
not be confused as EPR, rather
than a sharing of responsibility
amongst all parties, places the
onus for action directly on producers. |
| Externalities |
In
economic theory an externality
refers to the instance where a
decision causes impacts (positive
or negative) on third parties
who were not involved with the
original decision. Costs associated
with negative impacts (such as
environmental pollution) are said
to be externalised when they are
not included in the price of a
good or service. This can provide
a cost advantage to companies
who avoid paying for the damage
that their activities cause. |
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| Fossil
Fuel Replacement |
Replacement
of fossil fuels including coal,
gas and oil with renewable alternatives
such as biomass, solar, wind,
hydro, wave and geothermal. |
| G |
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| Gaming |
The
application of game theory to
decision making where 'rational'
individuals face choices between
acting out of self interest and
acting for the common good, but
where other participants' decisions
in the 'game' are unknown, with
a large potential for negative
impact and create an incentive
to act out of self-interest. |
| Global
Reporting Initiative |
The
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
is an independent organisation,
established to develop a globally
applicable set of Sustainability
Reporting Guidelines for organisations
reporting on the economic, environmental
and social performance of their
activities, products and services. |
| Global
Warming |
Global
warming is the increase in the
average temperature of the earth's
atmosphere as a consequence of
human activities causing a buildup
of greenhouse gases. |
| Global
Warming Danger Point |
The
point of no return past which
catastrophic changes as a result
of global warming are unavoidable.
Two degrees warmer that average
pre-industrial global temperature
in 1750 - concentration level
at which this becomes inevetable
is 400 ppm of CO2 in atmosphere
- current level is 379 ppm (2005)
and increasing at 2 ppm per year. |
| Greenhouse
Gases |
Greenhouse
gases are those air emissions
that contribute to global warming
including carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O)and
other gases generated during industrial
processes, including hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs),
and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).
These gase are measured in terms
their global warming potential
and are reported in tonnes of
carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-e)
or million metric tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalents (MMTCDE).
HFCs, PFCs and SF6 are the most
heat-absorbent of the greenhouse
gases listed above, with Global
Warming Potentials of up to 11,700
for HFC-23 and 23,900 for SF6,
implying that they trap 11,700
and 23,900 times more heat than
carbon dioxide. The 100-year global
warming potential for methane
and nitrous oxide is 21 and 310
respectively. |
| I |
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| Industrial
Ecology |
Industrial
Ecology (IE) provides a framework
based on the operation of natural
systems to both assess the impacts
of industry and technology on
the biosphere, and to design industrial
systems that reduce these impacts
and at the same time leverage
advantage from macro interactions
between elements of the industrial
system and the surrounding biosphere
and anthroposphere. |
| Institutional
Investor's Group on Climate Change
(IIGCC) |
Established
as a forum for collaboration between
institutional investors on issues
related to climate change. |
| K |
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| Kyoto
Protocol |
The
Kyoto Protocol is an international
treaty designed to limit global
greenhouse gas emissions. Under
the Protocol, industrialised countries
that ratify the protocol are required
to reduce their combined emissions
of six major greenhouse gases
during the five-year commitment
period from 2008-2012 to below
1990 levels, according to emission
targets that vary from country
to country. |
| L |
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| Landfill
Gas |
Ultimately
all bio-based materials disposed
of in landfill will biologically
decompose through microbial activity
and form a number of gases including
methane and carbon dioxide. Collectively
these gases are referred to as
landfill gas and if released can
have a negative environmental
impact on global warming, smog
formation and odour. Conversely
landfill gas can be captured and
used as an energy source to generate
electricity. |
| Life
Cycle Assessment |
Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) refers
to a methodology that includes
consideration of the impacts associated
with all stages of the material
life cycle of a product and which
is used to support decision making
such as the selection of a preferred
product or process by quantifying
the potential environmental impact
associated with a product, process
or service.
Formal LCA development was initially
conducted under the auspices of
the Society for Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC).
Recently LCA has become more formalised
and rigorous and now forms part
of the ISO 14 000 set of environmental
management system standards; in
particular the ISO 14 040 series
of standards. |
| M |
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| Mandatory
Renewable Energy Target (MRET) |
The
Mandatory Renewable Energy Target
(MRET) is a target set by the
Australian government to achieve
9,500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of
extra renewable electricity per
year by 2010 and then to maintain
that level of renewable electricity
generation until 2020. |
| Market
Based Instruments (MBIs) |
Market
based instruments (MBIs) seek
to harness market forces to assist
in meeting a desired environmental
goal. Such instruments include
charges, fees and taxes, market
creation (such as the establishment
of tradeable permits/certificates),
subsidies, deposit/refunds and
improving the operation of the
market through non-financial means,
such as information provision.
Also known as Economic Instruments
or Economic Incentives. |
| N |
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| National
Pollutant Inventory (NPI) |
The
National Pollutant Inventory (NPI)
is an Internet database, maintained
by the Australian Government through
the Department of Environment
and Heritage, that gives information
on the types and amounts of pollutants
being emitted to the environment
in Australia. Industrial point
sources estimate their emission
levels, while government data
is used to estimate diffuse sources
into aggregated emissions data.
http://www.npi.gov.au
. |
| Natural
Capital |
Natural
Capital refers to the stocks and
services of resources and natural
systems that are essential to
the survival and advancement of
society and other living organisms.
These resources may be non-renewable
(for example, oil, gas, coal and
metals), replenishable (for example,
groundwater and the ozone layer)
or renewable (for example, forests,
grasslands and marine life). Natural
capital services include waste
assimilation, erosion and flood
control and protection from ultra-violet
radiation. |
| Natural
Resource Management |
The
Natural Step Framework is a set
of easily understood, scientifically
based principles, that provides
businesses, communities, academia,
government and individuals with
guidance on selecting social,
environmental, and economic actions
towards becoming more sustainable. |
| Net
Present Highest Resource Value
(NPHRV) |
The
resource recovery option for any
given material that maximises
the positive and minimises the
negative relative environmental,
techno-economic and socio-political
impacts. |
| Non-excludability |
Used
to describe the provision of public
goods (and externalities) where
the benefits (or costs) of an
item or event can not be excluded
from being shared with other individuals
regardless of payment. |
| O |
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| Offsets |
Refer
to situations where negative environmental
impacts at one location (such
as the emission of pollution)
are offset by positive contributions
at a different site (such as pollution
reduction) in order to get an
overall desirable balance. |
| P |
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| Pigouvian
Taxes |
Refer
to the range of Environmental
Taxes that are placed on activities
that cause unwanted and damaging
externalities. Named after the
economist A.C Pigou who developed
the concept of externalities in
the 1920s. |
| Property
Rights |
Set
and define the rights of ownership
and possession that are essential
to the functioning of a market.
It is recognised that part of
the cause of environmental degradation
arises from the 'public good'
aspect of ecosystem services.
The specification and privatisation
of environmental property rights
is thought by many to be a valid
means of controlling pollution.
|
| Public
Goods |
Refers
to those goods and services which
provide beneficial externalities
that are unable to be sold for
individual profit because they
are available for everyone to
share (non-excludable) and do
not diminish with use (one person's
use does not reduce the amount
available to another). Examples
include sunlight, air and public
recreational space. |
| R |
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| Renewable
Energy |
Renewable
energy is energy that is considered
to be "carbon neutral"
and that does not deplete non-renewable
resources for its generation.
Energy can be in the form of heat
or electricity. |
| Resource
Recovery |
The
process of transforming wrong
time/place materials (wastes)
into right time/place resources
(value) through a range of technologies
(processes, practices and procedures)
involving mechanical separation,
biological treatment, thermal
processing and combination systems. |
| S |
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| Soil
degradation |
Loss
of soil productivity as a result
of changes to structure, nutrient
levels, salinity and micorbial
life |
| Soil
depletion |
The
depletion of soil nutrients, carbon
and microbial life to the extent
that productive capacity is greatly
diminished. Causes include intensive
agriculture and excessive uses
of pesticides and fertilisers. |
| Solar
Tower |
Solar
Tower technologies use the sun's
radiation to heat a large body
of air to create convection currents
strong enough to spin turbines
and thus generate electricity. |
| Supply
Chain |
The
supply chain refers to the discrete
elements involved in the delivery
of a product to a consumer. Some
of these elements include resource
extraction, processing, commodity
markets, manufacture, further
manufacture and assemply, wholesale
distribution and retail sales
and distribution. Supply chains
traditionally involve only one-way
flows of materials, which can
be either forwards or reverse,
but not at the same time, and
is contrasted with the holistic
concept of the value chain. |
| Sustainable
Building |
Sustainable
building refers to the design,
construction, operation and deconstruction
of buildings so as to minimise
the total impact of the building
on the built and natural environment,
in terms of the buildings themselves
and their surroundings, while
maximising indoor environmental
quality and performance. |
| System
Boundary |
A
system boundary is a boundary
arbitrarily drawn around one or
more industrial processes. It
is primarily used when considering
environmental impacts such as
air, land or water pollution and
can comprise for example, a physical
factory site boundary, a geographical
region, a chain of supply or a
political region. |
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| Value
Chain |
The
value chain incorporates all elements
of the supply chain and adds to
them additional elements that
directly impact sustainability
outcomes on the basis of design
decisions and information flows,
in addition to resource recovery
and other end-of-life issues arising
after a product has served its
function within the economy. Some
of these additional elements include
research, technology development,
project development, product research
and design, product development,
retail advertising, purchasing
decisions and end-of-life management.
(See also Supply Chain). |
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| Waste
Avoidance |
Waste
Avoidance - there are three interpretations
of Waste Avoidance:
i. the goal of avoiding all waste
as an end in and of itself
ii. a tool to achieve sustainability
outcomes by looking for opportunities
within manufacturing or consuming
to avoid unnecessary waste
iii. a grouping term that covers
all resource recovery activities
such as re-use and recycling,
because in becoming a resource
the "waste" is avoided. |
| Well-Being
Index |
Well-Being
Indexes attempt to overcome the
limitations of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) as a societal indicator
of progress (namely that GDP sums
all economic transactions regardless
of ecological impact) by including
factors related to human health
and happiness and environmental
and overall ecosystem impacts.
Examples include the Genuine Progress
Indicator, Human Development Index,
Living Planet Index and the Well-Being
of Nations. |
