Dictionary

An urban planning model in which residents can reach everyday essential services — work, shops, schools, healthcare, culture and leisure — within about 15 minutes on foot or by bicycle.

A state in which an economy grows while the environmental pressure it causes falls in absolute terms — the form of decoupling that genuine green growth requires.

Accountability to affected populations is the practice of ensuring people affected by decisions or programmes can receive information, give feedback and influence outcomes.

The UN climate regime's term for work under Article 6 of the UNFCCC and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement: education, awareness, training, participation, access to information and international cooperation.

A report that countries submit under the Paris Agreement setting out their adaptation priorities, implementation and support needs, plans and actions, recorded in a public UNFCCC registry.

Adaptation finance is funding directed toward reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience to actual or expected climate impacts.

A UN climate fund established under the Kyoto Protocol to finance concrete adaptation projects in developing countries, serving the Paris Agreement since 2019 and known for pioneering direct access.

The extent to which an intervention causes an outcome beyond what would reasonably have occurred under the applicable baseline, law, common practice or existing incentives.

A World Bank indicator that adjusts national savings for investment in education and for the depletion of natural resources and pollution damage, as a test of sustainable development.

Agenda 2030 is the United Nations sustainable development agenda that includes the Sustainable Development Goals and related commitments.

Aid effectiveness is the assessment of how well development assistance achieves intended results while respecting ownership, alignment, coordination and accountability principles.

A negotiating coalition of 39 small island and low-lying coastal states that has shaped global climate diplomacy, most notably by championing the 1.5°C temperature goal.

A small rented plot of land, typically provided by a local council, on which an individual or household grows fruit, vegetables or flowers mainly for their own consumption.

A UNFCCC country category covering the industrialised nations of 1992 plus economies in transition, which carry specific mitigation and reporting obligations under the Convention.

The UNFCCC category of OECD-member developed countries obliged to provide finance and technology transfer to developing countries for climate action.

Anti-bribery and corruption refers to policies, controls and practices intended to prevent, detect and respond to bribery, corruption and improper advantage.

A company's formal framework for preventing, detecting and responding to bribery and corruption, expected under the UN Global Compact's tenth principle and sustainability reporting standards.

Anti-money laundering is the set of controls used to prevent, detect and report attempts to disguise the proceeds of crime as legitimate funds.

Acting ahead of a predicted hazard — using forecasts, pre-agreed triggers and pre-arranged finance — to prevent or reduce humanitarian impacts before they fully unfold.

A governance approach that builds the capacity to explore uncertain futures, experiment and continuously learn, rather than reacting to problems once they are clear.

Technology designed to fit its social and environmental context — typically small-scale, locally maintainable and resource-light — as articulated by E.F. Schumacher in the 1960s–70s.

Ocean areas outside any country's control — the high seas and the deep seabed "Area" — covering nearly half the planet and now governed by the 2023 BBNJ Agreement, in force since 17 January 2026.

One of the five UN regional groups, comprising 53 member states from Asia and the Pacific, used to allocate seats and coordinate positions across UN bodies including climate processes.

Assurance mapping is the process of identifying what assurance, review or control activity covers which risks, processes, data or disclosures.

The deceptive practice of orchestrating campaigns that appear to be spontaneous grassroots movements while concealing the corporate or political sponsors behind them.

A welfare-based measure of income inequality that expresses how far actual income falls short of the level that, if equally shared, would deliver the same social welfare.

A causal judgement that an observed change was produced by an intervention, rather than by other influences or what would have occurred without it.

A committee of the board of directors responsible for overseeing financial reporting, external and internal audit, internal controls and — increasingly — sustainability-related disclosure and risk.

Australian legislation requiring large entities to report annually on how they identify and address modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains.

Beneficial ownership identifies the natural persons who ultimately own, control or benefit from a legal entity or arrangement.

A beneficiary is a person, group or organisation intended to receive benefit from a programme, policy, project or intervention.

Processing raw minerals into more valuable products domestically — from crushing and concentrating to smelting and refining — as a strategy for resource-rich countries to capture more value from their endowments.

A US corporate legal form, created by state statute since 2010, that requires directors to consider all stakeholders — not only shareholders — and to pursue a general public benefit purpose.

The OECD's interactive well-being tool comparing countries across 11 dimensions of life — a flagship of efforts to measure progress beyond GDP.

The international effort to measure progress with indicators that capture well-being, sustainability and equity — correcting GDP's blindness to what it does not count.

An alliance of governments, launched by Denmark and Costa Rica at COP26, committed to ending new oil and gas licensing and phasing out production on a Paris-aligned timeline.

The UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance's flagship two-yearly report mapping global climate finance flows — who pays, who receives, and whether flows match needs.

The UNFCCC's former two-yearly reporting instruments — BRs for developed countries, BURs for developing countries — superseded by the Paris Agreement's biennial transparency reports.

The single two-yearly report all Paris Agreement Parties must submit under the enhanced transparency framework, covering emissions, NDC progress, adaptation and support.

A measure of how comfortably, conveniently and safely a place can be navigated by bicycle — used to compare cities and target cycling infrastructure investment.

An evidence-informed approach to architecture and interiors that strengthens occupants' connection to nature through daylight, vegetation, natural materials and spatial patterns.

The unauthorised appropriation of biological resources or associated traditional knowledge — typically via patents — without consent or fair benefit-sharing.

The sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.

The knowledge, skills and mindset a board collectively needs to oversee climate-related risks and opportunities — a recognised dimension of effective climate governance.

The presence of directors with varied gender, ethnicity, age, skills, experience and background on a corporate board — measured, reported and increasingly regulated as a governance quality indicator.

Board independence is the degree to which board members can exercise objective judgment without undue influence from management, controlling shareholders or conflicts.

Board oversight is the board's monitoring and challenge of strategy, risk, controls, performance and accountability.

A global voluntary initiative, launched by Germany and IUCN in 2011, to bring 150 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2020 and 350 million by 2030.

Bottom of the pyramid refers to lower-income populations considered in relation to markets, development needs or inclusive business models.

A COP26-launched international commitment by over 45 countries to make clean technologies affordable and accessible everywhere by 2030 across power, transport, hydrogen, steel, cement and buildings.

The UN commission chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland whose 1987 report "Our Common Future" coined the canonical definition of sustainable development.

The Brundtland definition describes sustainable development as development that meets present needs while considering the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

An Indigenous Andean concept of collective well-being in harmony with nature — "living well" rather than "living better" — constitutionalised in Ecuador (2008) and Bolivia (2009).

The Sendai Framework principle of using disaster recovery to reduce future risk — rebuilding in ways that leave communities more resilient than before the disaster struck.

High-capacity bus-based public transport with dedicated lanes and metro-style stations — a lower-cost, faster-to-build alternative to rail that anchors sustainable urban mobility.

Business continuity is an organisation's ability to keep critical operations running or restore them after disruption.

The moral principles guiding business conduct beyond legal minimums — the normative foundation on which corporate sustainability and CSR practice are built.

Business integrity is the practice of conducting business honestly, lawfully and consistently with ethical standards and commitments.

A California law, effective 1 January 2024, requiring detailed public disclosures from carbon-offset sellers, offset buyers making claims, and any entity making net-zero or carbon-neutral claims.

California's clean-air agency — established 1967, lead agency for the state's climate programmes, and a de facto global standard-setter through vehicle and climate regulation.

Paired 2023 California laws requiring large companies doing business in the state to disclose full value-chain emissions (SB 253) and biennial climate-related financial risk reports (SB 261).

The humanitarian system for coordinating and managing displacement camps and camp-like settings — ensuring displaced people receive services, protection and a route to durable solutions.

A 0–10 "ladder of life" self-assessment of life evaluation — the measure behind Gallup World Poll wellbeing data and the World Happiness Report rankings.

The Sen–Nussbaum framework judging development by people's real freedoms — their capabilities to be and do what they value — rather than by income alone.

Capacity development is the process of strengthening the abilities of people, organisations or systems to perform functions and achieve objectives.

The 2000 supplementary treaty to the Convention on Biological Diversity governing the safe international transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms.

Direct payments of money to poor or vulnerable households — conditional or unconditional — now a mainstream instrument of social protection and humanitarian aid.

The deliberate design of the context in which people make choices — defaults, ordering, framing — to steer decisions without forbidding options.

A contractual or regulatory mechanism allowing a company to recover incentive pay already awarded — increasingly relevant as executive pay ties into ESG and climate metrics.

The Clean Industrial Deal is an EU policy framework linking industrial competitiveness and decarbonisation through measures for energy-intensive industry, clean technology and circularity.

A UNEP-convened voluntary partnership of 200+ governments and organisations working to cut short-lived climate pollutants — methane, black carbon, HFCs and tropospheric ozone.

The integration of climate knowledge, skills and values into formal and informal education — a recognised pillar of the global climate response under SDG 4.7 and UNFCCC Action for Climate Empowerment.

Climate finance is funding intended to support climate mitigation, adaptation, resilience or related transition activities.

The structures, rules and accountability arrangements — in companies, governments and international institutions — through which climate risks, targets and decisions are directed and controlled.

Climate justice is a framing that connects climate change to fairness, rights, responsibility and the unequal distribution of climate harms and capacities.

Climate litigation is legal action connected to climate change, emissions, adaptation, disclosure, duties or climate-related claims.

The body of government action — international, national and subnational — aimed at mitigating greenhouse-gas emissions and adapting to climate impacts.

The operational arm of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism, delivering technical assistance on climate technologies to developing countries.

An intergovernmental cooperation forum of countries highly vulnerable to climate change, founded by the Maldives in 2009.

A COP26 declaration committing signatory states to establish zero-emission maritime routes known as green shipping corridors.

A code of ethics is a written statement of values, principles and expected conduct for an organisation or profession.

The OECD Recommendation setting common environmental and social due-diligence standards for officially supported export credits.

Common but differentiated responsibilities is the principle that states share responsibility for global environmental problems while recognising different circumstances and capacities.

A principle of international law holding that certain global spaces and resources belong to all humanity and must be managed for shared benefit.

A resource that is difficult to exclude people from but finite in use, such as fisheries, irrigation systems and communal forests.

A process in which community members come together to take collective action on shared concerns, building capacity and self-reliance.

The ability of a community to prepare for, withstand, adapt to and recover from shocks and stresses.

An urban-planning model favouring dense, mixed-use development, public transport and clear development limits over sprawl.

A street-design and policy approach ensuring streets are safe and accessible for all users, ages and abilities, not just cars.

A humanitarian crisis in which authority has broken down, typically amid conflict, requiring a multi-agency international response.

A compliance function is a role or team responsible for helping an organisation meet legal, regulatory, policy and ethical obligations.

A Conference of the Parties is the formal meeting of parties to an international convention, often used in climate and biodiversity diplomacy to negotiate and review implementation.

Conflict Minerals Regulation refers to rules addressing due diligence for selected minerals and metals that may finance conflict or be linked to serious human rights risks.

A conflict of interest policy sets expectations for identifying, declaring and managing situations where personal or organisational interests could influence judgment.

Contribution analysis is an evaluation approach that assesses whether and how an intervention plausibly contributed to observed outcomes.

The 1992 Rio treaty committing its 196 Parties to conserve biodiversity, use it sustainably, and share the benefits of genetic resources fairly.

An autonomous association of people who unite voluntarily to meet common economic, social and cultural needs through a jointly owned, democratically controlled enterprise.

Corporate culture is the shared pattern of values, incentives, behaviours and informal norms that shapes how people in an organisation make decisions.

Corporate governance is the system of rules, roles, processes and relationships through which a company is directed, controlled and held accountable.

Voluntary donations of money, goods, services or employee time by companies to charitable and community causes, distinct from core business strategy.

Corporate purpose is the stated reason an organisation exists beyond short-term financial performance, often linking strategy, stakeholders and long-term value.

The expectation that companies take responsibility for their impacts on society and the environment, beyond legal compliance and profit-seeking.

The exposure of an organisation, transaction or jurisdiction to corruption — the abuse of entrusted power for private gain — assessed and managed under anti-corruption frameworks.

An estimate of the condition or outcome that would have occurred for the same people, places or system in the absence of the intervention being assessed.

Country risk benchmarking is the classification or comparison of countries according to risk indicators used to guide due diligence, scrutiny or compliance expectations.

Country-by-country reporting is disclosure of tax, financial or operational information broken down by jurisdiction.

Crisis management is the preparation, coordination and response used to manage serious events that threaten people, operations, reputation or continuity.

Assets and systems — energy, water, transport, health, digital — whose failure would severely disrupt society, the economy or security.

Long-term collaboration between organisations from at least two sectors — business, government, civil society — to address sustainability problems no single actor can solve alone.

The combined, incremental effects of multiple actions and stressors on people and ecosystems — beyond what any single project's assessment captures.

Customs enforcement is the use of border-control powers to check, stop, release or restrict goods according to applicable trade, product or sustainability-related requirements.

Cybersecurity risk is the possibility of harm, disruption or loss arising from threats to digital systems, data, networks or information security.

The allocation of authority, accountability, rules and controls governing how data are created, accessed, changed, shared, retained and deleted across their lifecycle.

Data privacy is the protection and proper handling of personal data in line with rights, expectations and applicable rules.

Efforts to confront and dismantle colonial structures within conservation and sustainability — from fortress conservation to knowledge hierarchies — restoring Indigenous governance and rights.

Decolonizing development is the effort to challenge power imbalances, assumptions and institutional practices rooted in colonial histories within development work.

Deforestation-free means a commodity, product or supply chain is presented as not linked to deforestation within the relevant legal, methodological or sourcing boundary.

A delegated act is a secondary legal instrument that supplements or amends specific non-essential elements of a primary legislative act within an authorised scope.

A digital product passport is a structured digital record intended to carry product information such as composition, origin, sustainability attributes or compliance data.

The policy objective of preventing new and reducing existing disaster risk and managing residual risk, as framed by the UN Sendai Framework 2015–2030.