Glossary
- Accessible
- Something that is easy to reach or enter for use by people with disabilities or limitations. It implies that something is available or can be approached without difficulty, barrier or obstacle.
- Adaptation / Adaptability
- The process of an adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities.
- Affordable
- Describes something that is reasonably priced or within financial reach for most people.
- Air Pollution
- The contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that changes the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Pollutants include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.
- Avoidable
- Something that could have been prevented or circumvented if appropriate measures or certain actions had been taken.
- Biodiversity Net Gain
- Biodiversity Net Gain is an approach to development that leaves biodiversity in a better state than before. Where a development has an impact on biodiversity it encourages developers to provide an increase in appropriate natural habitat and ecological features over and above that being affected in such a way It is hoped that the current loss of biodiversity through development will be halted and ecological networks can be restored.
- Biodiversity offsets
- Measurable conservation outcomes deigned to compensate for adverse or unavoidable impacts on biodiversity by projects. These should be done in addition too, not replacement of prevention and mitigation measures.
- Climate Change
- Refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer.
- Energy Efficient
- The practice of using less energy to provide the same amount of useful output from a service (such as heating water, lighting, or cooling a fridge).
- Green and Blue Infrastructure
- A strategically planned network of natural and semi-natural areas with other environmental features designed and managed to deliver a wide range of ecosystem services such as water purification, air quality, space for leisure and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Green Space
- Green spaces include parks, recreation grounds, public or private gardens, playing fields, play areas, woodland, and other natural areas, grassed areas, cemeteries and allotments, green roofs, and green walls, as well public right of ways (PROWS), such as bridleways, footpaths, canal towpaths and disused railway lines.
- Blue Space
- Blue space includes canals, rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs, natural areas, grassed areas, cemeteries and allotments, green roofs, and green walls, as well public right of ways (PROWS), such as bridleways, footpaths, canal towpaths and disused railway lines.
- Industrial Symbiosis
- The collaborative relationship between different businesses or companies within industry. This can be through the exchange of resources - i.e., the waste or by-product of one business, is the raw material used by another. This reduces waste and makes better use of resources.
- Natural Capital
- Refers to the Earth's natural resources and ecosystems that provide valuable services to humans and other species. These resources include things like clean air, fresh water, fertile soil, biodiversity, forests, and oceans.
- Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)
- Approaches to addressing environmental and societal challenges by working with nature or mimicking natural processes. Instead of relying solely on traditional engineering or technological solutions, NbS harness the power of ecosystems and biodiversity to provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions.
- Nature Recovery
- The process of returning nature to a previous state or condition after experiencing a setback, regaining health.
- Net Zero Emissions
- Net-zero emissions are achieved when emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are balanced by anthropogenic removals.
- Peatland
- A type of wetland characterised by the accumulation of peat, which is partially decayed organic matter. It forms in waterlogged conditions where the rate of plant growth exceeds the rate of decomposition, leading to a gradual build-up of organic material over thousands of years.
- Regenerative Agriculture
- A farming technique that focuses on soil health and ecosystem wellbeing. When soils are healthy, it produces more food and nutrition, stores more carbon and increases biodiversity. An example is crop rotation to prevent soil depletion or contour ploughing.
- Resilience
- The capacity of social, economic, and environmental systems to cope with a hazardous event, trend or disturbance, responding or reorganising in ways that maintain their essential function, identity, and structure.
- Rewilding
- The large-scale restoration of nature - allowing ecosystems to take care of themselves and thrive without human intervention - restoring habitats, natural processes.
- Sustainability
- The use of resources so that they last a long time and don't harm the environment or future generations.
- Sustainable Neighbourhoods
- Helping communities in Kirklees achieve a balance between the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability, in line with the unique needs of that community. A sustainable neighbourhood has three key features: a vibrant street life, walkability, and affordability.
- Tree Canopy
- The amount of ground area covered by branches, leaves and stems from trees as viewed from above.
- Vulnerability
- The propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected. Vulnerability encompasses a variety of concepts and elements including sensitivity or susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt.
