Environmental Abbreviations
62 abbreviations · part of Science & Engineering Abbreviations
Abbreviations from climate science, air and water quality, environmental law and sustainability: greenhouse gas accounting (GHG, CO2e, GWP), air pollutants and indexes (PM2.5, NOx, AQI), water-quality measures (BOD, DO, TDS), climate negotiations (IPCC, UNFCCC, COP, NDC), carbon removal (CCS, DAC), environmental assessment and green building (EIA, LCA, LEED) and conservation status categories. Chemical pollutants such as PFAS, VOCs and CFCs are covered under chemistry, and US laws are described as they apply today.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AMOC | Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation | System of ocean currents, including the Gulf Stream, that carries warm surface water northward in the Atlantic and returns cold, deep water southward. |
| AQI | Air Quality Index | Number used to communicate how polluted the air is and what health effects to expect, based on pollutants such as ozone, fine particles, carbon monoxide and sulfur… |
| BECCS | Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage | Approach that grows plants, which absorb CO2, burns or ferments the biomass for energy, then captures and stores the resulting CO2 underground, potentially producing… |
| BOD | Biochemical oxygen demand | Amount of dissolved oxygen that microorganisms consume while breaking down organic matter in a water sample, usually measured over five days at 20 °C (BOD5). |
| BREEAM | Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method | Sustainability assessment and certification method for buildings, launched in the United Kingdom in 1990 by the Building Research Establishment. |
| CCS | Carbon capture and storage | Process of capturing carbon dioxide from power plants, factories or the air, compressing it and injecting it deep underground into rock formations for permanent storage. |
| CCUS | Carbon capture, utilization and storage | Broader term covering carbon capture and storage plus the use of captured CO2 in products such as fertilizer, synthetic fuels, plastics, concrete and carbonated drinks. |
| CDR | Carbon dioxide removal | Human activities that take CO2 out of the atmosphere and store it durably, including planting forests, restoring wetlands, adding biochar to soil, enhanced rock… |
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act | Superfund law of 1980 that lets the EPA clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances and compel responsible parties to pay. |
| CITES | Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora | International agreement that regulates trade in wild animals and plants and their products, such as ivory, rhino horn, timber, orchids and live reptiles, to ensure… |
| CO2e | Carbon dioxide equivalent | Common unit for comparing and adding up emissions of different greenhouse gases, converting each into the amount of carbon dioxide that would cause the same warming… |
| COD | Chemical oxygen demand | Amount of oxygen needed to chemically oxidize the organic and some inorganic material in water, measured by digesting a sample with a strong oxidant, usually potassium… |
| COP | Conference of the Parties | Supreme decision-making meeting of the countries that have joined a UN convention, best known for the annual climate summits under the UNFCCC. |
| CR | Critically Endangered | Highest risk category for species still surviving in the wild on the IUCN Red List, meaning an extremely high risk of extinction. |
| CSO | Combined sewer overflow | Discharge of untreated sewage mixed with stormwater from older sewer systems that carry both in the same pipes. |
| DAC | Direct air capture | Technology that removes carbon dioxide directly from ambient air using chemical filters or solutions, after which the CO2 can be stored underground or used. |
| DO | Dissolved oxygen | Amount of oxygen gas dissolved in water, essential for fish and other aquatic life and a key indicator of water quality. |
| EIA | Environmental impact assessment | Formal process for identifying and evaluating the likely environmental effects of a proposed project, such as a highway, mine, dam or wind farm, before a decision is… |
| EIS | Environmental impact statement | Detailed document required under the US National Environmental Policy Act for major federal actions that may significantly affect the environment. |
| EMS | Environmental management system | Structured framework an organization uses to manage its environmental responsibilities, setting policies, tracking impacts such as waste, energy and emissions, and… |
| EN | Endangered | IUCN Red List category for species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, one step below Critically Endangered. |
| ENSO | El Niño-Southern Oscillation | Irregular climate cycle in the tropical Pacific Ocean, alternating every two to seven years between El Niño (warmer surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific)… |
| EPD | Environmental product declaration | Independently verified document reporting a product's environmental impacts, such as global warming potential, water use and resource depletion, based on a life-cycle… |
| EPR | Extended producer responsibility | Policy approach that makes manufacturers responsible for the end-of-life management of their products, usually by funding collection and recycling. |
| ETS | Emissions trading system | Cap-and-trade market in which a government sets a declining limit on total emissions, issues or auctions allowances up to that cap, and lets companies trade them, so… |
| GHG | Greenhouse gas | Gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and re-emits infrared radiation, trapping heat near Earth's surface. |
| GMST | Global mean surface temperature | Average of near-surface air temperatures over land and sea-surface temperatures over the ocean across the whole globe, the main indicator of global warming. |
| GWP | Global warming potential | Measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps over a period, typically 100 years, relative to the same mass of carbon dioxide, which has a GWP of 1. |
| HAB | Harmful algal bloom | Rapid overgrowth of algae or cyanobacteria in water that produces toxins or depletes oxygen, harming people, pets, fish and wildlife. |
| HAP | Hazardous air pollutant | Air pollutant known or suspected to cause cancer, birth defects or other serious health effects, regulated under the US Clean Air Act. |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change | United Nations body that assesses the science of climate change, its impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. |
| LC | Least Concern | IUCN Red List category for species evaluated and found not to qualify as threatened or Near Threatened, usually because they are widespread and abundant. |
| LCA | Life-cycle assessment | Method for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product or service across its whole life, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transport and use to… |
| LEED | Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design | Widely used green building rating system developed by the US Green Building Council. |
| LULUCF | Land use, land-use change and forestry | Greenhouse gas inventory sector covering emissions and removals from forests, croplands, grasslands, wetlands and settlements, including deforestation, afforestation… |
| MPA | Marine protected area | Defined region of ocean or coast where human activities such as fishing, mining or drilling are restricted to conserve marine life and habitats. |
| MRV | Measurement, reporting and verification | Process for quantifying emissions or emission reductions, documenting them transparently and having them checked by an independent party. |
| MSW | Municipal solid waste | Everyday trash and recycling from households, businesses, schools and institutions, including packaging, food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, plastics and furniture, but… |
| NbS | Nature-based solutions | Actions that protect, restore or sustainably manage ecosystems to address societal challenges such as climate change, flooding, water security and biodiversity loss. |
| NDC | Nationally determined contribution | Climate action plan that each party to the Paris Agreement submits and updates every five years, setting out its emissions-reduction target and adaptation measures. |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act | US law signed on January 1, 1970, that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of their proposed actions and alternatives before deciding… |
| NOx | Nitrogen oxides | Collective term for nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formed when fuels burn at high temperatures in engines, power plants and boilers. |
| NPDES | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System | US Clean Water Act permit program, created in 1972, that regulates point sources discharging pollutants into rivers, lakes and coastal waters, such as factories, sewage… |
| ODS | Ozone-depleting substance | Chemical that destroys stratospheric ozone when it breaks down, releasing chlorine or bromine. |
| PM10 | Particulate matter 10 micrometers or smaller | Inhalable particles up to 10 micrometers across, including dust from roads, construction and farming, pollen, mold spores and sea salt, as well as the finer PM2.5… |
| PM2.5 | Particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller | Fine airborne particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, about one thirtieth the width of a human hair, small enough to reach deep into the lungs and… |
| RCP | Representative Concentration Pathway | Set of greenhouse gas concentration scenarios used in the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (2014), each named for the extra radiative forcing in watts per square meter… |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | Governs management of solid and hazardous waste, establishing "cradle-to-grave" tracking of hazardous waste from generation through disposal and setting standards for… |
| REDD+ | Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation | Framework under the UN climate convention that pays developing countries for keeping forests standing and reducing forest-related emissions. |
| SBTi | Science Based Targets initiative | Organization that defines and validates corporate greenhouse gas reduction targets as consistent with limiting warming to well below 2 °C or 1.5 °C. |
| SDG | Sustainable Development Goal | One of 17 global goals adopted by all UN member states in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, covering poverty, hunger, health… |
| SLCP | Short-lived climate pollutant | Climate-warming substance that stays in the atmosphere for days to a few decades, much shorter than carbon dioxide. |
| SOx | Sulfur oxides | Gases, mainly sulfur dioxide (SO2), released when sulfur-containing coal and oil are burned and when metal ores are smelted. |
| SSP | Shared Socioeconomic Pathway | Set of five scenario narratives describing how global society, population, economic growth and technology might develop this century, from sustainability (SSP1) to… |
| SST | Sea surface temperature | Temperature of the ocean's upper layer, measured by satellites, buoys, ships and floats. |
| TDS | Total dissolved solids | Total concentration of dissolved minerals, salts, metals and other substances in water, usually in milligrams per liter or parts per million. |
| TMDL | Total maximum daily load | Under the US Clean Water Act, the maximum amount of a pollutant a water body can receive and still meet water-quality standards, allocated among sources such as… |
| TSS | Total suspended solids | Mass of particles suspended in water that can be trapped by a filter, including silt, clay, algae and organic debris, measured in milligrams per liter. |
| UHI | Urban heat island | Tendency of cities to be warmer than surrounding rural areas, especially at night, because pavement and buildings absorb and re-radiate heat, vegetation is scarce and… |
| UNFCCC | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | International treaty adopted in 1992 and in force since 1994 that provides the framework for global climate negotiations, with the goal of preventing "dangerous… |
| VU | Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category for species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, the least severe of the three "threatened" categories. |
| WWTP | Wastewater treatment plant | Facility that cleans sewage and industrial wastewater before releasing it to rivers or the sea. |
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