Important Words and Terms
The energy and climate words used across this site, explained simply
kWh
Short for kilowatt-hour — the standard way of measuring energy. One kWh is how much energy a 1,000-watt device uses if you run it for one hour. Your electricity bill is counted in kWh.
gCO₂/kWh
Grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour — how much carbon dioxide is released to make one unit of electricity. Lower is cleaner. This is also called carbon intensity, and it's the big number on the front page.
CO₂e
Carbon dioxide equivalent — a clever way of adding up all the greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and more) into a single number, so they can be compared fairly.
gCO₂e
CO₂e measured in grams — handy for small things. Charging your phone once is roughly 8 gCO₂e.
kgCO₂e
CO₂e measured in kilograms (1,000 grams) — handy for bigger things. A hot bath is around 1 kgCO₂e; a typical car journey to school, a few kg.
Renewable energy
Energy from sources that nature keeps topping up — wind, sunshine and flowing water. They make electricity with little or no CO₂, which is why a windy day means a cleaner grid.
National Grid
The huge network of pylons, cables and substations that carries electricity from power stations and wind farms to homes, schools and businesses all over Britain.
Carbon footprint
The total amount of greenhouse gases caused by something — a person, a journey, a product. Interestingly, the idea of a personal carbon footprint was made popular in the 2000s by the oil company BP, which some people say shifted the focus onto individuals rather than the big polluters.
Climate change
Long-term changes to the world's weather patterns. Burning coal, oil and gas adds greenhouse gases to the air, which trap heat and warm the planet — leading to more extreme weather.
Biodiversity
The huge variety of living things — plants, animals, insects, fungi — in a place. The more variety, the healthier and more resilient nature tends to be.
Ecosystem
A community of living things and their surroundings, all connected and depending on each other — like a woodland, a pond, or a coral reef.
Net zero
When the greenhouse gases we add to the air are balanced by the amount we take back out, so the total added is zero. Britain aims to reach net zero by 2050.
Carbon neutral
Similar to net zero, but usually about one thing — a company, event or product — balancing out the carbon it causes, often by paying for savings elsewhere such as planting trees.
Sustainability
Living in a way that meets our needs today without using things up or harming the planet for the people and wildlife of the future. The simple version: don't take more than the Earth can replace.
The 5 Rs
A simple order for cutting down waste, from best to last resort:
- Refuse — say no to things you don't need in the first place.
- Reduce — use less of what you do need.
- Reuse — use things again instead of throwing them away.
- Repurpose — give something a new job when its old one is done.
- Recycle — turn it into something new when nothing else works.