Arctic Amplification
Arctic amplification means that temperatures are warming faster in the Arctic than the rest of the planet. This is due to the loss of sea ice and snow cover and the resulting “ice–albedo feedback” which refers to the reflection of sunlight by snow and ice.
Biosphere reserves
Biosphere reserves are UNESCO-recognized (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) protected areas designed to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development. They support local communities by aligning ecological, social, and economic interests. As research and education hubs, they improve people’s understanding of environmental issues and encourage sustainable practices.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
CCS is one possible solution for reducing the greenhouse effect. Harmful carbon dioxide emissions from industrial and power plants are captured or filtered out of the air and then stored in the ground. The method is highly controversial due to its high costs, complex technical processes, and the uncertainty regarding long-term storage in subterranean geological strata.
Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU)
CCU refers to a method for capturing and utilizing carbon dioxide (CO2). The greenhouse gas is then used to produce fuels, chemicals, building materials, or fertilizers. This process has great potential, provided that this conversion does not cause even more greenhouse gas emissions and that electricity consumption can be regulated.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Carbon dioxide is a non-flammable, acidic, and colorless gas that is a chemical compound of carbon and oxygen. As an essential component of air, it regulates the natural greenhouse effect. However, economic activities are causing increased amounts of CO2 to be released into the earth’s atmosphere, leading to a rise in temperatures with catastrophic consequences for life on earth.
Carbon dioxide emissions
Carbon dioxide emissions are produced in large quantities when fossil fuels are burned—for example in transportation, energy generation, manufacturing, heating, or agriculture.
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is a form of non-violent political protest in which people deliberately and publicly violate certain laws, rules, or political measures. Sit-ins, occupations of public places, blockades, and other direct actions are used to draw attention to injustices or to demand change.
Climate catastrophe
Climate catastrophe refers to the disastrous events and developments that are the result of climate change, such as extreme weather events, rising sea levels, droughts, crop failures, and other serious consequences for ecosystems, the economy, and society.
Climate collapse
Climate collapse emphasizes the critical state that the climate is in, which can lead to serious and potentially irreversible global changes. Scientists talk of “tipping points” in this context.
Climate crisis
Climate crisis refers to the acute threat posed by human-made climate change. The term emphasizes the urgent need for measures to limit the negative impact on the climate and to prepare for the consequences that are already unfolding.
Climate feedback loops
Feedback loops are self-reinforcing phenomena and thus have serious consequences for the system as a whole. One of the best-known examples of a climate feedback loop is the “ice–albedo feedback”: albedo is a unit of measurement that indicates how much sunlight is reflected by a surface. Light-colored surfaces such as ice and snow reflect the majority of sunlight, while darker surfaces such as oceans and forests absorb the sun’s energy. The hotter it gets, the more ice and snow melts. This increases the size of the darker surfaces, which in turn absorb more sunlight and heat the earth further.
Climate justice movements
Climate justice movements are globally active groups, activists, NGOs, and local communities that campaign for comprehensive measures to combat climate change. Social justice and rights for marginalized groups are also among their key demands. Protests, demonstrations, and political lobbying are common ways of drawing attention to their cause and applying political pressure.
Decarbonization
Decarbonization refers to the process of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, which are mainly produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. This involves a long-term transition to renewable energy sources as well as sustainable transportation and energy efficiency.
Extractivism
Extractivism refers to an economic and social practice in which natural resources are extracted on a large scale—regardless of the ecological or social consequences. These resources include raw materials such as crude oil, coal, metals, and minerals, as well as agricultural products such as wood, soy, or palm oil. “Invented” in the course of colonialism, this form of exploitation is now carried out by multinational companies, despite the extensive damage it causes to the environment and local communities.
Fossil energy sources (fossil fuels)
Fossil energy sources are natural resources made from organic materials. Over millions of years, plant and animal matter deposited in the earth’s crust has been converted into coal, oil, and natural gas and mined on a large scale since the industrial revolution in the mid-eighteenth century. They are essential to the global energy supply and the main cause of global warming, as their combustion releases greenhouse gases that are harmful to the environment.
Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)
Fracking is a process for extracting oil and gas deposits from deep layers of rock. A mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is pumped into a borehole under high pressure. The resulting cracks in the rock eventually allow the raw materials to rise to the surface. The consequences of this technique include an increased risk of earthquakes, groundwater pollution, and the release of the greenhouse gas methane.
Global South
The term “Global South” was introduced to replace outdated terms such as “developing countries,” “emerging countries,” and “Third World,” with the aim of establishing a neutral and non-hierarchical term. However, the term once again adopts the perspective of industrialized countries. This is because the geographical basis for this division into north and south is limited: while Australia and New Zealand are classified as the Global North, Afghanistan and Mongolia are part of the Global South.
Global warming
Industrialization has led to an increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere, which cover the planet like an invisible dome of haze. They allow the short-wave sunlight to pass through, but reflect the long-wave heat radiation back to earth—making it hotter. The consequences of increasing global warming can already be felt: the extinction of species (such as coral death), flooding, extreme heat waves, droughts and water shortages, melting glaciers, the loss of Arctic sea ice, and rising sea levels.
Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect refers to a natural process of climate regulation in which gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane are released into the atmosphere. They reflect the heat of the sun’s rays and thus make life on earth possible. The name is derived from the similar effect produced by the glass walls of a greenhouse. This effect has increased enormously in recent decades due to economic activities and, without concrete countermeasures, will inevitably lead to climate collapse in the foreseeable future.
Greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are natural gases in the earth’s atmosphere. They include water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3). They regulate the climate by absorbing heat from the sun and reflecting it back to the earth as infrared rays.
Lobau Tunnel occupation
The Lobau Tunnel is a decades-long transportation project for the development of a new freeway route in the east of Vienna that would run underneath the Donau-Auen National Park in the Lobau region. Ecological concerns and the enormous environmental impact led to months of occupations, demonstrations, and public campaigns by climate activists. At the end of 2021, the transport minister Leonore Gewessler (Green Party) decided not to go ahead with the construction of the tunnel.
Methane
As a natural greenhouse gas, methane has the ability to store heat and thus regulate the earth’s climate. It is an essential component of the fossil fuels natural gas and crude oil, but is also emitted as a result of biological processes, including the digestion of plants by animals and the decomposition of organic matter in wetlands or landfill sites. Methane is used as an industrial fuel as well as a raw material in the production of chemical compounds. However, the excessive release of the gas leads to the formation of the pollutant ozone, which endangers our health and the environment.
Peak oil
Peak oil describes the moment at which global oil production will reach its maximum rate and then steadily decline as the remaining oil reserves become more difficult to extract. Rising energy prices, economic instability, and geopolitical tensions are among the consequences. The exact timing of peak oil is still to be determined, but it is an inevitable reality and highlights the need to develop alternative energy sources. The introduction of fracking (especially in the USA) has delayed the arrival of peak oil for an indefinite period.
Permafrost
Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of ground that represents the largest carbon reservoir on earth. Between 1,300 and 1,600 gigatons of carbon are stored in the Arctic, Antarctic, and high mountain regions—roughly twice as much as in the entire earth’s atmosphere. Global warming causes the permafrost to thaw, releasing the stored carbon into the atmosphere.
Phosphates
Phosphates are chemical compounds of phosphorus and oxygen. They are used in biochemistry, agriculture, the food industry, and water treatment processes. As fertilizers, they increase levels of phosphorus in the soil. An essential nutrient, phosphorus plays an important role in promoting root growth and the development of flowers and fruits as well as the production of seeds.
Tax haven
Tax havens are countries that impose no or nominal taxes or social security contributions on income and assets. They have been accused of offering tax incentives as a business model.
Whistleblowers
Whistleblowers are informants who expose wrongdoings or financial misconduct in protected or confidential contexts. Since 2019, they have been legally protected by the Europe-wide Whistleblowing Directive, which has been in effect in Austria since February 1, 2023.