Great question! Some of the terms and buzzwords used when talking about climate change can shift in meaning over time and often mean different things to different people. Keeping that in mind, here are some definitions that may be helpful:
Greenhouse gas
Refers to a variety of gasses that act as a blanket over Earth’s surface, trapping heat that would otherwise be released out to space. Globally, carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions in mass and in warming impact.
Other gasses such as methane, nitrous oxide, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) trap more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide. For this reason, all greenhouse gas emissions are often expressed in tons of CO2-equivalents, so that measurements express their total heat-trapping impact rather than just their mass (a more meaningful comparison).
Anthropogenic
Literally means “human-sourced”, usually used to specify anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions or anthropogenic changes to land, as opposed to “natural” emissions or changes. However, human activities cause more than 99% of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere each year.
Global warming
Refers to the increasing average temperature of the Earth due to a dramatic increase in greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere, caused mostly by the burning of fossil fuels by humans.
Climate change
Often refers to all the other changes resulting from global warming such as sea level rise, changes in precipitation, changes in storm frequencies and intensity, etc.
The following terms have a lot more variable definitions by field, culture, and worldview. Feel free to use the versions that work for you in supporting your communities.
Mitigation
In health, hazards, and emergency response fields, often refers to prevention of harm or negative outcomes by taking action to protect places and communities. In environmental fields, refers specifically to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent further climate change.
Adaptation
Reducing harm from climate change by changing places and practices. This may include a wide variety of activities, including but not limited to: land management, social programs, infrastructure, care for non-human beings, energy systems, arts and culture, etc.
Resilience
Often refers to an entity or community’s ability to recover from harm; may also include strengths that allow the individual or community to avoid harm in the first place. Often related to culture and worldview; for example, We R Native provides this definition:
Resilience is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, and other challenges. It is something that exists in the individual, our cultures, our families, and our communities. Resiliency is a natural part of being Indigenous that has been passed down many generations. For as long as we have known, Indigenous peoples have been nurturing our relationships with the land to create better methods of survival. From these relationships, we have been able to create new technologies, farm and hunt better, create traditions, and celebrate what the land and Creator provide to us. This ability to learn and quickly adjust the ways we approach difficult situations is resilience.
Vulnerability
Often refers to a being, ecosystem, or community’s susceptibility to harm from climate change, sometimes as a function of exposure and sensitivity to hazards and capacity to adapt in the face of those hazards (adaptive capacity). However, the term is frequently debated – Indigenous peoples have been largely labeled “vulnerable” by settler governments which may stem from ignorance of the complexities of Indigenous resilience and ongoing struggles against colonialism. That said, analyzing possible threats and vulnerabilities is a common and helpful way to begin climate planning processes.
Risk
The chance or possibility of harm, predicted by the likelihood of events which may cause harm (for example, the chance of a major storm hitting an area) and the potential consequences of such an event. Mitigation of climate change is the only way to reduce the risk of storms and floods; but natural hazards don’t have to become natural disasters! Risk can be dramatically reduced by reducing a community’s vulnerability or by increasing their resilience.
Try this framework for understanding your community or Nation’s climate risks:
For example:
