Search our glossary for commonly used sustainability and ESG concepts, terms and definitions.
There are currently 19 entries in this directory beginning with the letter P.
P
Paris Agreement
Legally binding international treaty on climate change which aims to limit global warming
to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing a limit of 1.5°C
to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing a limit of 1.5°C
Parts Per Million (PPM)
Parts per million indicates the number of parts of carbon dioxide per one million parts of air.
As of March 9 2022, the C02 reading was 417.8ppm
Source: The Keeling Curve
As of March 9 2022, the C02 reading was 417.8ppm
Source: The Keeling Curve
Planetary Boundary
Quantitative planetary boundaries, related to 9 processes that regulate the stability and
resilience of Earth within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations
to come. Crossing these boundaries increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt
or irreversible environmental changes.
resilience of Earth within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations
to come. Crossing these boundaries increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt
or irreversible environmental changes.
Planned Obsolescence
The practice of building items with a purposefully finite or limited life-span in order to ensure repeat purchase of said items.
See: Sierra Club Overview of Planned Obsolescence
See: Sierra Club Overview of Planned Obsolescence
Precautionary Principle
The precautionary approach to protect the environment was defined in the 1992 United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. The Declaration obliged the use of the precautionary approach in order to protect the environment which requires that “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”
From an enterprise perspective, applying a precautionary approach to environmental protection requires enterprises to have an effective due diligence framework through which environmental threats can be identified and avoided, mitigated or remediated.
Source: Report of the United Nations Conference of Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992), Principle 15
From an enterprise perspective, applying a precautionary approach to environmental protection requires enterprises to have an effective due diligence framework through which environmental threats can be identified and avoided, mitigated or remediated.
Source: Report of the United Nations Conference of Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992), Principle 15