Glossary

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an approach to mitigating global warming by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point sources such as power plants and subsequently storing it instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.

Carbon neutral: Being carbon neutral, or carbon neutrality, refers to neutral (meaning zero) total carbon release, brought about by balancing the amount of carbon released with the amount sequestered.

Carbon offsetting is the act of mitigating ("offsetting") greenhouse gas emissions. A well-known example is the purchasing of offsets to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions from personal air travel.

Carbon sequestration is the term describing processes that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To help mitigate global warming, a variety of means of artificially capturing and storing carbon (while releasing oxygen) — as well as of enhancing natural sequestration processes — are being explored.

Energy audit: An energy audit is a comprehensive assessment of a company’s energy use throughout its operations. An energy audit will identify the most cost-effective opportunities for energy savings.