Glossary of Climate Change

Carbon cycle - the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth.
Carbon diet - the act of reducing the output of CO₂ to reduce impact on the environment.
Carbon footprint - the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event or product.
Carbon offset - a mechanism for individuals and businesses to neutralize rather than actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, by purchasing the right to claim someone else's reductions as their own.
Carbon sequestration - proposals for removing CO₂ from the atmosphere, or for preventing CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion from reaching the atmosphere.
Carbon sink - a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period
Carbon tax - a tax on energy sources which emit carbon dioxide.
Clathrate gun hypothesis - the hypothesis that melting methane clathrates could trigger runaway or very severe global warming.
Climate - the average and variations of weather in a region over long periods of time.
Climate change - changes of climate in general, usually with no presumption of human influence. Note, however, that there is one important exception to this: the UNFCCC defines "climate change" as anthropogenic.
Climate change feedback - a natural phenomenon that may increase or decrease the warming that eventually results from a change in radiative forcing.
Climate commitment - how much future warming is "committed", even if greenhouse gas levels do not rise, due to thermal inertia, mainly of the oceans.
Climate ethics - an area of research that focuses on the ethical dimensions of climate change.
Climate forcing - an energy imbalance imposed on the climate system either externally or by human activities.
Climate Justice - term used for viewing climate change as ethical issue, and considering how its causes and effects relate to concepts of justice
Climate legislation - legislation dealing with regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate refugee - a displaced person caused by climate change induced environmental disasters.
Climate sensitivity - how responsive the temperature of the climate system is to a change in radiative forcing. Also: the temperature change in °C associated with a doubling of the concentration of CO₂ in atmosphere (as the single most important factor of radiative forcing).
Climate variability - climate change, with no presumption of cause.
Climatology (Climate Science) - the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time.