Definitions

Other reliable sources of definitions:

ADAPTATION Adjustment in natural or human systems to a new or changing environment.  Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustment in natural or human systems  in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which  moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities.
   
BIOENERGY Useful, renewable energy  produced from organic matter. The conversion of the complex carbohydrates in  organic matter to energy. Organic matter may either be used directly as a fuel  or processed into liquids and gases.
   
BIOFUEL A fuel produced from dry  organic matter or combustible oils produced by plants. Examples include wood,  black liquor from the paper manufacturing process, alcohol (from fermented  sugar), and soybean oil.
   
BIOMASS Organic matter available on  a renewable basis, including forest and mill residues, wood and wood wastes, agricultural  crops and wastes, and municipal and industrial wastes.
   
CARBON  CYCLE A process related to the constant exchange of carbon between different sources.
   
CARBON NEUTRAL Being carbon neutral  means calculating a total carbon footprint, and balancing emissions with  sequestration to achieve a zero net carbon impact.
   
CARBON SINKS Elements in the carbon  cycle able to capture carbon dioxide and reduce its concentration in the  atmosphere. Forests are a carbon sink – they take in carbon dioxide and convert  it to wood, leaves and roots. They are also a carbon source – they release  stored carbon into the atmosphere when they decompose or burn.
   
CARBON SEQUESTRATION The ability of  forests or other natural systems to store carbon, thereby preventing it from  collecting in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Forests absorb carbon when they  break down carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
   
CLIMATE CHANGE A change of climate  which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the  composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural  climate variability observed over comparable time periods.
   
DEFORESTATION Permanent conversion  to non-forest uses such as agriculture or urban development.
   
EMBODIED ENERGY All of  the energy, direct and indirect, required through the life of a product, from  extraction to disposal.
   
ENERGY  EFFICIENCY Ratio of energy  output of a conversion process or of a system to its energy input.
   
GREEN  BUILDING Choosing products  and building designs that make structures more resource efficient and reduce  their impact on human health and the environment through location,  construction, operation, repair and maintenance, renovation and final deconstruction,  demolition or removal.

LIFE  CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) A  science-based process that examines the potential environmental impact  throughout the life of a given product or service from resource extraction  through to product manufacturing, operation and use, and eventual reuse or disposal.  It is frequently used to assess building products and assemblies.
   
MITIGATION An anthropogenic  intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.
   
RESERVOIR A component of the climate system, other than the  atmosphere, which has the capacity to store, accumulate or release a substance  of concern, e.g., carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. Oceans, soils, and  forests are examples of reservoirs of carbon.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT  "Development that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."
[World Commission on Environment and Development, UN, Bruntland commission, 1983]
   
SUSTAINABLE  FOREST MANAGEMENT Management that  maintains and enhances the long-term health of forest ecosystems for the benefit of all living things while providing environmental, economic,  social and cultural opportunities for present and future generations.