carbon, definition of

Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. There are three naturally occurring isotopes, with 12C and 13C being stable, while 14C is radioactive, decaying with a half-life of about 5730 years. Carbon is one of the few elements known since antiquity. The name "carbon" comes from Latin language carbo, coal.

See the full entry on wikipedia

• Global Warming, climategate, big business and being green
  The theory of man made global warming is turning into an excuse to derive profit from peoples good nature, what is going on?..
• Climategate, what is going on?
  Global warming, climate change, greenhouse effect and climategate; how 'valid' is the climate science?
• Green Earth Books and Environmental Books
  Books we recommend about green and environmental issues. Great place to start learning how to be more green in your day to day life.
• Cheap Solar Panels - do they exist?
  What the cheapest solar panels are and if its clear you get what you are paying for...
• Solar Power - the facts about setting up Solar Power
  Solar Power systems installed at the home or office can reduce environmental impact. How solar panel systems work is described and how you and the environment benefit.
• Carbon Offsets, what they are and how they help
  Carbon offsets can help with reducing overall carbon emissions by possibly balancing out the carbon impact on the environment. This article goes into more detail on the subject.
• Ecologically Sustainable Development, what it is and how you can do it
  Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) is explained and how it helps your house to be more green and eco friendly.
• Does Sydney need a desalination plant?
  We look at whether Sydney has an actual case for a water desalination plant or not. This article will look at what other options there are.
• Is using a wood fire to heat being Green?
  We look at whether using a wood fire to heat your home is being really green or not.
• Michael Jackson and his Green legacy
  The King of Pop is dead - but what is his Green legacy? In this article we have a look at what he has really done for the world and its environment.
• Whats the fuss about Biochar?
  Biochar - what is it? This article explains what biochar is and how it will help us with carbon capture and improving the soil.
• Top Ten Going Green Tips & Tricks
  Top ten green tips and tricks you can do to be Green and more Eco friendly in your day to day life.
• Green Christmas, is it possible?
  Christmas and being green don't often go together, we provide advice on reducing your environmental impact to be more Green for Christmas.

• Green Guffs of the week
  Quick summary of some major 'green' snarfs of the week in terms of not really doing the right thing to save the environment.
• Carbon trading is dead
  Carbon trading in the US is dead - the market set up to trade it is about to close down for lack of business.
• Biofuels destroying Rain Forests
  Biofuel producing crops are replacing rain forests, resulting in the silly situation that there is a net increase in carbon.
• Climate Fools Meeting in the UK
  The UK just had a meeting at parliament of key climate skeptics and MPs to help educate other MPs and interested people in the real issues.
• 10:10 - 10 reasons carbon emissions trading does not work
  Carbon emissions trading does not work, we give you 10 solid reasons why it won't.
• carbon trading does not reduce emissions
  Carbon trading will not do a thing to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment; in fact it could end up doing the exact opposite as businesses use it as a way to create profit.
• 10:10 cut carbon emissions video, the links
  A quick summary posting giving links to the coverage so far online and in the media.
• Landfills May Be Greener Than Recycling, finds study
  Recycling plastic bottles might not always be the most environmentally-friendly option for disposal, according to a study by an independent consultancy based near Zurich, Switzerland.
• 10:10 cut carbon emissions viral video nightmare
  The 10:10 global campaign to cut global carbon emissions has demonstrated in a video they just pulled of their website (but has gone viral, so too late) exactly what they think of those who disagree with them...
• Forestry investments have all gone rotten
  The Managed Investment Scheme (MIS) operators have all gone to the wall in Australia, we look at why and if they were actually green.
• Chicago Climate Exchange drops 50%, new record low
  Basically, if it gets any lower it will be ZERO..
• Climate Change Policy in Australia
  With an election just around the corner the politically sensitive issue of how Labour is to deal with Climate Change has been presented as policy today.
• Gillard is in
  Julia Gillard is in as the new PM of Australia, replacing Kevin Rudd; what does this mean for the Green Agenda?
• Is Cap and Trade really the way to care for the planet?
  I reckon Cap and Trade is not the way to go..
• Global Warmings unscientific method
  Peer review seems to be more about peer pressure when trying to publish anything that goes against the Global Warming group think.
• Earth Hour - lights out, minds alight
  On March 27th, 115 countries will put their lights out for one hour. We discuss what this means and what you should do long term to help the environment.
• WWF's Amazon carbon trading cash cow
  It appears the World Wildlife Fund could be on its way to securing up to $60 billion in carbon credits from 'saving' the Amazon - more like 'cashing in' on the Amazon if you ask me..
• Solar Power - hidden costs
  Solar power is all the rage at the moment, we had a look at some quotes and found it is not as good a deal as it looks.
• Is ETS a lame duck?
  The Emissions Trading Scheme looks to be stuck in the Senate. Does this mean it will fail?
• What is the fuss with biochar??
  Given the sudden interest in the media on biochar one would think a way of really saving the world has been discovered...

Related Tags: carbon, carbon dioxide

Umbrella term referring to the act of measuring and reporting on an organization's greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon accounting procedures typically aim to measure and report on the emissions that a company is directly responsible for, but they can also track emissions that result from a firm's supply chain and the activities of its partners, customers and staff.

The practice is widely regarded as an essential first step towards cutting carbon emissions.

However, critics have argued that its effectiveness is undermined by an absence of international standards, which means that carbon calculations can be undertaken differently from organization to organization.

This is a form of life which uses carbon as a 'building block' in its cells and chemical processes. Basically all life (be it plant or animal) on Earth is 'carbon based' in one form or another.

An amorphous form of carbon, produced commercially by thermal or oxidative decomposition of hydrocarbons and used principally in rubber goods, pigments, and printer's ink.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is an approach to mitigating global warming based on capturing carbon dioxide from large point sources such as fossil fuel power plants and permanently storing it away from the atmosphere.

Wikipedia Entry

A market-driven way of reducing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions; it allows an agent to benefit financially from an emission reduction. There are two forms of carbon credit, those that are part of national and international trade and those that are purchased by individuals.

All parts (reservoirs) and fluxes of carbon. The cycle is usually thought of as four main reservoirs of carbon interconnected by pathways of exchange. The reservoirs are the atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere (usually includes freshwater systems), oceans, and sediments (includes fossil fuels). The annual movements of carbon, the carbon exchanges between reservoirs, occur because of various chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes. The ocean contains the largest pool of carbon near the surface of the Earth, but most of that pool is not involved with rapid exchange with the atmosphere.

• Ecologically Sustainable Development, what it is and how you can do it
  Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) is explained and how it helps your house to be more green and eco friendly.

Related Tags: environment, global warming

A metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential (GWP).

The enhancement of the growth of plants as a result of increased atmospheric CO2 concentration. Depending on their mechanism of photosynthesis, certain types of plants are more sensitive to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration.

Carbon movement; movement of organic compounds through an ecosystem. Specifically, the relationship between carbon dioxide absorbed by green plants and carbon dioxide respirated by various organisms.

Related Tags: ecology, environment

Carbon Footprint refers to the the total greenhouse gas emissions that result from a person, organization, product or service over a given time.

It tends to act as an umbrella term for any attempt to measure greenhouse gas emissions and as a result can refer to simply the emissions that result from a single activity, such as flying; the emissions that result from an organization or building over the course of a year; or the full lifetime emissions of a product or organization, including emissions from the supply chain or disposal of resources.

While carbon footprints colloquially refer to the amount of CO2 emitted, the UK Carbon Trust endorses a wider definition and considers all six of the Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gases - Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Hydro fluorocarbons, Perfluorocarbons, and Sulfur hexafluoride - when measuring a carbon footprint.

• Cheap Solar Panels - do they exist?
  What the cheapest solar panels are and if its clear you get what you are paying for...
• Michael Jackson and his Green legacy
  The King of Pop is dead - but what is his Green legacy? In this article we have a look at what he has really done for the world and its environment.

• Landfills May Be Greener Than Recycling, finds study
  Recycling plastic bottles might not always be the most environmentally-friendly option for disposal, according to a study by an independent consultancy based near Zurich, Switzerland.

Carbon Fraud is an aspect of global carbon markets.

Basically due to weak certification and validation processes in carbon markets, it is often quite easy to operate a 'fake' carbon offsetting business; i.e. claiming to run an offshore forest preservation scheme generating carbon credits when no such thing exists in reality (i.e. just pocket the money).

Also, due to the difficult nature of assessing exactly how much carbon some scheme or process offsets, you can also get fraud through over estimating the amount of carbon offset.

It is understood in some regions that organized crime has got involved in carbon markets, and that some markets have had to be suspended to investigate systematic fraud.

The relative amount of carbon emitted per unit of energy or fuels consumed

The theory that policy measures designed to reduce CO2 emissions in one country or region will result in an increase in emissions in another country as carbon intensive firms relocate to areas with less demanding environmental regulations.

For example, it is feared that steel plants and other heavy industries faced with planned carbon pricing regulations in the US may move their operations to countries such as China or India that do not have carbon pricing schemes in an attempt to avoid increased costs.

As a result, carbon emissions could simply "leak" from one country to another, resulting in no net reduction in emissions.

The Kyoto Protocol and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme have both been accused of causing carbon leakage, although there is little solid evidence as yet of firms relocating solely as a result of carbon regulations.

One of the primary drivers for a global agreement to tackle climate change is the hope that an international deal would remove the risk of carbon leakage by establishing comparable carbon regulations for all countries.

A colorless, odorless, poisonous gas produced by incomplete fossil fuel combustion.

• Is using a wood fire to heat being Green?
  We look at whether using a wood fire to heat your home is being really green or not.
• Green Christmas, is it possible?
  Christmas and being green don't often go together, we provide advice on reducing your environmental impact to be more Green for Christmas.

Compensating for the amount of carbon dioxide an entity generates through either obtaining energy from renewable sources or offsetting.

• Carbon Offsets, what they are and how they help
  Carbon offsets can help with reducing overall carbon emissions by possibly balancing out the carbon impact on the environment. This article goes into more detail on the subject.
• Is using a wood fire to heat being Green?
  We look at whether using a wood fire to heat your home is being really green or not.

Related Tags: carbon, carbon trading

A Carbon Offset is a financial instrument representing a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Wikipedia Entry

• Carbon Offsets, what they are and how they help
  Carbon offsets can help with reducing overall carbon emissions by possibly balancing out the carbon impact on the environment. This article goes into more detail on the subject.

• carbon trading does not reduce emissions
  Carbon trading will not do a thing to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment; in fact it could end up doing the exact opposite as businesses use it as a way to create profit.

Carbon Pollution refers to the human produce Co2 that is meant to be harming the environment.

Related Tags: carbon tax

The reservoir containing carbon as a principal element in the geochemical cycle.

Limiting the amount of carbon you use each year.

The uptake and storage of carbon. Trees and plants, for example, absorb carbon dioxide, release the oxygen and store the carbon. Fossil fuels were at one time biomass and continue to store the carbon until burned.

Related Tags: carbon cycle

Carbon reservoirs and conditions that take in and store more carbon (carbon sequestration) than they release. Carbon sinks can serve to partially offset greenhouse gas emissions. Forests and oceans are common carbon sinks.

Related Tags: climate change, global warming, environment

A Carbon Tax is a government imposed taxation on source goods and services in an attempt to reduce the production of carbon into the atmosphere.

Usually implemented as a form of 'at source' taxation; i.e. those whom manufacturer or consume the most carbon pay and everybody else on the supply chain picks up the price increase. This is often encountered with a carbon credit scheme, by which carbon producers can 'offset' their taxable carbon emissions against less carbon intense production methods.

As always with such schemes, the devil is in the detail; in particular there has been problems in the past with carbon fraud.

Note: This equally applies to the energy production sector as basic manufacturing; say if coal is being used as a source of electrical power.

• Climate Change Policy in Australia
  With an election just around the corner the politically sensitive issue of how Labour is to deal with Climate Change has been presented as policy today.

A compound consisting of one carbon atom and four chlorine atoms. It is an ozone depleting substance. Carbon tetrachloride was widely used as a raw material in many industrial applications, including the production of chlorofluorocarbons, and as a solvent.

The sale and purchase of carbon credits or pollution permits through carbon markets.

The practice is designed to help control carbon dioxide emissions by placing a price on a ton of emitted CO2 and providing members of trading schemes with economic incentives to reduce the amount of pollution they produce.

The market is dominated by cap-and-trade schemes, such as the EU's emissions trading scheme, but carbon trading can also refer to the sale of carbon offsets from emission reduction projects.

In theory, carbon trading mechanisms mean that emission reductions are achieved at the lowest possible cost, as businesses will only purchase carbon credits - effectively paying someone else to cut emissions for them - if they can not deliver emission reductions at a lower cost themselves.

• Climategate, what is going on?
  Global warming, climate change, greenhouse effect and climategate; how 'valid' is the climate science?

• Green Guffs of the week
  Quick summary of some major 'green' snarfs of the week in terms of not really doing the right thing to save the environment.
• Carbon trading is dead
  Carbon trading in the US is dead - the market set up to trade it is about to close down for lack of business.
• Climate Fools Meeting in the UK
  The UK just had a meeting at parliament of key climate skeptics and MPs to help educate other MPs and interested people in the real issues.
• 10:10 - 10 reasons carbon emissions trading does not work
  Carbon emissions trading does not work, we give you 10 solid reasons why it won't.
• carbon trading does not reduce emissions
  Carbon trading will not do a thing to reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment; in fact it could end up doing the exact opposite as businesses use it as a way to create profit.
• 10:10 cut carbon emissions viral video nightmare
  The 10:10 global campaign to cut global carbon emissions has demonstrated in a video they just pulled of their website (but has gone viral, so too late) exactly what they think of those who disagree with them...
• Chicago Climate Exchange drops 50%, new record low
  Basically, if it gets any lower it will be ZERO..
• Gillard is in
  Julia Gillard is in as the new PM of Australia, replacing Kevin Rudd; what does this mean for the Green Agenda?
• Is Cap and Trade really the way to care for the planet?
  I reckon Cap and Trade is not the way to go..
• Earth Hour - lights out, minds alight
  On March 27th, 115 countries will put their lights out for one hour. We discuss what this means and what you should do long term to help the environment.
• WWF's Amazon carbon trading cash cow
  It appears the World Wildlife Fund could be on its way to securing up to $60 billion in carbon credits from 'saving' the Amazon - more like 'cashing in' on the Amazon if you ask me..