Climate change impacts
Climate change is already happening, and it is producing many impacts around the globe. These impacts can be very different from one place to another. All the aspects of our livelihoods may be affected: water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health. The impacts of climate change on different sectors of society are interrelated. […]
Climate justice
Justice that links development and human rights to achieve a human-centred approach to addressing climate change, safe-guarding the rights of the most vulnerable people and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its impacts equitably and fairly. Source: IPCC AR6 Glossary For further information: CMCC Foresight: The power of Climate Policy CMCC Foresight: […]
Decarbonisation
Human actions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from human activities. The process by which countries, individuals or other entities aim to achieve zero fossil carbon existence. Typically refers to a reduction of the carbon emissions associated with electricity, industry and transport. Source: IPCC AR6 Glossary
Drought
An exceptional period of water shortage for existing ecosystems and the human population (due to low rainfall, high temperature and/or wind). Source: IPCC AR6 Glossary
Green infrastructure
The strategically planned interconnected set of natural and constructed ecological systems, green spaces and other landscape features that can provide functions and services including air and water purification, temperature management, floodwater management and coastal defence often with co-benefits for human and ecological well-being. Green infrastructure includes planted and remnant native vegetation, soils, wetlands, parks and […]
Heatwave
A period of abnormally hot weather, often defined with reference to a relative temperature threshold, lasting from two days to months. Heatwaves and warm spells have various and, in some cases, overlapping definitions. Source: IPCC AR6 Glossary
Integrated Coastal Areas Management
In order to preserve fragile coastal ecosystems for future generations and reconcile nature conservation with such dynamic human activities, since the mid 1980s Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) has been implemented in the Mediterranean. It appeared as a response to the concentration of population and economic activities as close to the sea as possible, aiming […]
Salt-water intrusion
Displacement of fresh surface water or groundwater by the advance of salt water due to its greater density. This usually occurs in coastal and estuarine areas due to decreasing land-based influence (e.g., from reduced runoff or groundwater recharge, or from excessive water withdrawals from aquifers) or increasing marine influence (e.g., relative sea level rise). Source: […]
Scientific consensus
In broad terms, a scientific consensus is what an overriding majority of scientists or experts establish to be true about a given issue once they have addressed all evidence currently available to them. This is done by looking at scientific papers, which are themselves papers that have been reviewed by a host of other experts […]
Tropical cyclone
The general term for a strong, cyclonic-scale disturbance that originates over tropical oceans. Distinguished from weaker systems (often named tropical disturbances or depressions) by exceeding a threshold wind speed. A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with one-minute average surface winds between 18 and 32 m s−1. Beyond 32 m s−1, a tropical cyclone is […]