A
- Adaptation
- Efforts to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, and diminishing biodiversity. It involves implementing strategies to make communities, ecosystems, and resources more resilient, mitigating potential damage, and benefiting from any opportunities associated with climate change.
- Afforestation
- When abandoned and degraded agricultural lands are turned into forests.
- Anthropocene
- The ‘Anthropocene’ is a proposed new geological epoch resulting from significant human-driven changes to the structure and functioning of the Earth’s ecosystem. The Anthropocene concept has been taken up by various disciplines (and the media) to denote the substantive influence humans have had on the present condition and future of the Earth.
- Autotrophic Organism
- An autotrophic organism is a living organism that get energy from inorganic substances and stores it. This can be by photosynthesis (using sunlight like green plants and algae) or chemosynthesis (using chemical reactions, like certain bacteria found near volcanic vents).
Additional resources:
THRIVE OUTREACH CLUSTER: BIODIVERSITY FOR A THRIVING PLANET
B
- Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
- Store electrical energy generated by renewables for later use.
- Biodegradable
- A substance or material that can breakdown naturally and decompose into harmless components through the action of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi thereby avoiding pollution. Biodegradable materials are environmentally friendly, as they do not persist in the environment and can return safely to natural ecosystems.
- Biodiversity
- Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms in an ecosystem, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms like bacteria, and the genetic information they contain. Each species plays a vital role in maintaining balance, strengthening ecosystem functions and health, and supporting life by providing resources like food, clean water, and shelter.
- Biodiversity Loss
- Biodiversity loss refers to the decline or disappearance of biological diversity, understood as the variety of living things that inhabit the planet, its different levels of biological organisation and their respective genetic variability, as well as the natural patterns present in ecosystems. This reduction in biodiversity can disrupt ecosystem balance and affect the health of natural environments, human societies, and the capacity of the planet to support life.
- Biofuel
- Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from renewable biological sources, including plants, algae and agricultural waste. When used in transportation and industry, biofuels, like ethanol and biodiesel, produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions as compared with fossil fuels supporting sustainable energy goals.
- Biomass Energy
- Biomass Energy is extracted from organic plant and animal materials. These substances have the potential to produce heat and electricity.
- Biomimicry
- This means learning from and then emulating nature’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to create more sustainable designs. For example, observing natural processes, such as the way plants convert sunlight into energy, designers and engineers develop innovations that support sustainability.
- Biosphere
- The biosphere is the part of the Earth that is able to sustain life.
- Biota
- Biota is all the flora and fauna located in a particular region, whether on land or in the sea and air. This includes microorganisms.
- Blackwater
- Blackwater is tainted wastewater that cannot be combined with greywater and must be extracted from a building using separate blackwater pipes.
- Blue Carbon
- It is carbon stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, like mangroves and seagrasses, which absorb CO₂ and help mitigate climate change while also supporting biodiversity and protecting shorelines. It is called “Blue” due to proximity to the ocean; the carbon is stored in the soil and silt and helps absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in its biomass.
- Blue Economy
- A term in economics that refers to the sustainable use of ocean and coastal resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation while preserving the health of marine and coastal ecosystems. It includes sectors such as fisheries, renewable energy, tourism, and marine biotechnology.
C
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
- Carbon capture and storage is a process that involves capturing the carbon upon emission, (such as greenhouse gases), from industry, and transporting it somewhere for storage, usually underground. It is sometimes also known as Carbon Sequestration.
- Carbon Credit
- A carbon credit permits an organisation or a company to emit a certain amount of carbon or other greenhouse gas emissions. Companies can trade carbon credits if they don’t use the credit’s total allowance.
- Carbon Footprint
- The total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane, emitted by a particular individual, organisation, or product. It accounts for all emissions generated through activities such as energy use, transportation, and consumption of goods and services, contributing to climate change.
- Carbon Negative
- Being carbon negative means that a person, group, or entity emits less carbon and greenhouse gas than the amount absorbed or offset, which is good for the planet.
- Carbon Offset
- It is a tradable right or certificate that allows individuals, businesses, or governments to compensate for their carbon emissions by funding projects that reduce, absorb, avoid or remove an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases elsewhere. This can involve purchasing credits through carbon trading platforms or supporting activities like reforestation, renewable energy projects, or energy efficiency improvements.
- Carbon Positive
- The phrase ‘carbon positive’ is misleading. Additionally, it means that a person, group, or entity emits more carbon and greenhouse gas than the amount absorbed or offset, which is problematic.
- Carbon Sequestration
- A decarbonisation technique that captures and stores carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the environment to mitigate climate change. This can occur naturally through forests, soils, and oceans or through technological solutions like carbon capture and storage (CCS) and Direct Air Capture (DAC). By reducing greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration supports a thriving planet for future generations.
- Carbon Sink
- A carbon sink is a natural or man-made reservoir for C02. Examples of natural carbon sinks include soils, forests and oceans. Artificial carbon sinks can take the form of high-pressure storage of CO2, deep beneath the Earth’s crust (Alexandrov, 2008).
- Carbon Tax
- A carbon tax is a tax on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions imposed by the government on the carbon content of fossil fuels, designed to encourage businesses and individuals to reduce these emissions. Assigning a monetary cost to emissions, promotes cleaner energy choices and helps combat climate change.
- Carbon-Neutral
- Becoming carbon-neutral means balancing the output of greenhouse gas emissions with what is able to absorb it, such as carbon sinks.
- Circular Economy
- An economic system focused on reusing, recycling, repairing, and refurbishing materials and products to extend their lifecycle, minimising waste and reducing the need for new resources. It impacts all sectors of the economy and aspects of society, aiming to lower pollution, conserve resources, and support the planet’s regenerative cycles.
- Clean Energy
- Clean energy comes from energy that does not emit greenhouse gases when produced.
- Climate Adaptation
- Climate adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects, in order to moderate harm or gain benefits. Human intervention often facilitates adjustment to the expected climate and its effects.
- Climate Change
- Climate change refers to long-term shifts in Earth’s temperature, ecosystems, and weather patterns. These changes are primarily driven by human activities, such as the emission of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, resulting in global warming, rising sea levels, severe climates, shrinking glaciers and ecosystem disruptions.
- Climate Mitigation
- Man-made interventions to reduce emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.
- Climate Resilience
- What degree of risk mitigation can a socio-ecological system provide? Evidently, climate resilience investigates how effectively current systems can absorb shocks and continue to function under climate risk, as opposed to sustainability, which aims to increase the number of climate resilient systems.
- Closed Loop
- A closed loop is “an automatic control system in which an operation, process, or mechanism is regulated by feedback” (Boulding, 1966).
- Community Development Funds
- These are funds fed back into the community by Fairtrade Certified companies. This enables the people at the extracting end, such as the farmers and workers, to invest in projects that develop necessities in their community such as education, health, clean water, and housing.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- CSR is a self-regulation framework where businesses take accountability for their environmental, social, and economic impacts. It encompasses four key areas: minimising environmental harm, ensuring ethical operations, engaging in philanthropic initiatives, and maintaining financial transparency, fostering trust with stakeholders and society.
D
- Decarbonisation
- Decarbonisation refers to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions produced by combustion of fossil fuels by transitioning to cleaner energy sources and sustainable practices. It aims to lower emissions across sectors like energy, transportation, and industry while enhancing carbon absorption, for example through storage in agricultural lands and forests.
- Deforestation
- The practices or processes that refer to the conversion of forest lands for non-forest uses (often commercial purposes). Deforestation is a major contributing factor to the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide.
E
- Eco-Districts
- A planning strategy that is cooperative. It emphasises regenerative urban growth on a neighbourhood scale.
- Ecosystem
- An ecosystem is a self-sustaining or thriving system that supports living organisms, such as a community of plants, animals and microbes, interacting with each other and their physical environment, including non-living components like energy sources, weather and soil. These interactions create a complex network that maintains balance within natural environments, sustaining life.
- Electrochemical
- The term Electrochemical refers to processes where electrical currentsinteract with chemicals to produce energy or reactions, such as in batteries and fuel cells.
- Embodied Carbon
- Are the Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions used during construction? This includes transportation and production of materials and equipment to and from building sites. In essence, it is the entire carbon footprint of buildings and infrastructure prior to their becoming operational.
- Emissions
- The release of a substance or energy. The primary emissions discussed in sustainability are gases released into the atmosphere. Some of these emissions are greenhouse gases. The most commonly discussed emission is CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), which has significant long-term effects. Plant life is crucial for absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere.
- Energy Footprint
- Energy footprints are a subset of environmental footprints that focused on energy consumption.
- Environmental Justice
- Environmental justice means that all communities, regardless of income, race, or location, are treated fairly when it comes to environmental policies, laws and regulations. It also addresses injustice when poor or marginalised communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction or other land uses from which they do not benefit.
- ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)
- ESG refers to global environmental, social, and governance factors that affect an organisation’s financial performance and decision making. ESG factors help in evaluating investments and how these investments align with making a positive difference in the world. ESG factors are critical to a company’s long-term value to shareholders.
F
- Fairtrade
- Fairtrade represents a global trading partnership that ensures ethical and sustainable practices throughout a product’s life cycle. Fair Trade certifications and labels on products represent safe and decent working conditions, gender equality, fair wages, and environmental protection, while promoting sustainable livelihoods and community development.
- Fossil Fuels
- Fossil fuels are energy sources formed over millions of years from the remains of buried plants, animals and organic materials that are transformed under heat and pressure into crude oil, natural gas, or coal. These fuels are non-renewable and are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions causing global warming.
G
- Geothermal Energy
- It is a thermal energy derived from heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface. Tapping into natural reservoirs of steam and hot water, it provides a clean and consistent renewable energy source for electricity and heating.
- Global Warming
- The ongoing global average increase in temperature around the Earth’s surface.
- Governance
- The process of governing people, places, or organisations.
- Green Building
- To maintain a healthy structure with minimal negative effects on the environment, builders construct green buildings based on ecological principles.
- Greenhouse Effect
- The greenhouse effect is a term that describes how the natural gases in the Earth’s atmosphere allow infrared radiation to warm the Earth’s surface, preventing heat from escaping the Earth’s atmosphere. This is contributing to climate change.
- Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
- Greenhouse gases (GHG) are atmospheric gases that absorb heat from the sun and trap it, warming the Earth (The Greenhouse effect). Key examples include carbon dioxide, methane, N2O, CFCs and ozone, primarily emitted through industrial activities, deforestation, and agriculture. These gases contribute to climate change by adding to the natural warming, leading to a phenomenon known as ‘Global Warming’.
- Greenwashing
- A deceptive practice of claiming environmental friendliness to attract consumers while they may be harmful to the environment. These marketing tactics can undermine genuine sustainability efforts and erode public trust, while projecting a green image.
I
- Inclusive Growth
- Economic progress that delivers social benefits more fairly and equitably across society and communities, including marginalised groups. This growth model emphasises reducing inequality, creating quality jobs, and fostering opportunities for everyone, supporting social equity and improving the standard of living.
- Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
- ICT is the devices and connections used to stay connected to others and retrieve information in a digital society. This includes phones, computers, smart devices, and internet connectivity.
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Describes the interconnected system of devices and the technology enabling communication among these devices, both with cloud services and amongst each other. This does not describe the devices themselves but refers to the way within which they interact. These “things” are embedded with sensors, software, and connectivity capabilities, allowing them to collect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet.
L
- Land Degradation
- Land degradation is the decline in land quality, often due to human activity, reducing economic productivity of the land and its ability to meet social and ecological objectives.
M
- Mitigation
- Actions taken by governments, businesses, or individuals to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, decreasing the impact of climate change. This includes transitioning to renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, conserving water, and implementing sustainable land-use practices like reforestation, forest conservation and eco-friendly agriculture.
N
- Natural Capital
- Refers to the planet’s stock of natural resources —including land, air, water, and all living and non-living things essential to the sustainability of life and the economy. Like financial or human capital, natural capital is vital for long-term prosperity, underpinning ecosystems and providing essential services to humanity.
- Natural Resources
- These are materials or substances that occur naturally in the environment (and are valuable for the economy), such as coal, gas, oil, wind, forests, fertile land and water. They can be renewable or non-renewable, depending on their ability to replenish over time.
- Net Negative
- Net Negative describes a system, or activity with an overall detrimental impact, where the negative effects, such as environmental damage or resource depletion, outweigh any positive contributions. It is also referred to as net loss. We currently operate in a Net Negative state, where human activities cause more harm than regeneration.
- Net Positive
- A system, or activity is considered Net Positive when its positive impacts on the environment outweigh its negative effects. A net positive strategy goes beyond traditional sustainability efforts and actively enhances areas like carbon sequestration or biodiversity. Net positive means that a business must give back more than it takes away from the community.
- Net Zero
- Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by human activity, and the amount removed over a specific period, achieving carbon neutrality. This involves reducing GHG emissions and implementing strategies like carbon sinks (e.g., reforestation) to absorb excess gases, while using metrics like global warming potential.
- Net-Zero Water
- The Net-zero water strategy involves a structure or community using only the water that naturally falls on the property.
- Non-Government Organisation (NGO)
- It is an organisation that is separate from any governing body. NGOs are often run by volunteers and charities.
O
- Ocean Governance
- Ocean Governance involves making laws and policies to ensure the world’s oceans are adequately protected and kept sustainable. It is global and multi-institutional, including governments, public and private companies, along with NGOs and conservation societies.
- Off-Grid
- Being off-grid refers to adopting a lifestyle or system that is not connected to public utilities such as electricity, water, or sewage systems. It often involves using renewable energy sources like solar panels or wind turbines, promoting self-sufficiency and resilience.
- Operational Carbon
- The quantity of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions released during the operational or active phase of a building’s lifespan.
- Organic
- Refers to food produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers, and without genetic modification. It focuses on natural farming practices that support biodiversity, soil health, and thrivability.
P
- Paris Agreement
- The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted in December 2015 during COP21, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Its primary goal is to limit the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while striving for 1.5°C, to mitigate risks and protect future generations.
R
- Rain-Water Harvesting
- The process of collecting and storing rainwater from the roof of houses and buildings. This water can be used for household use, irrigation, or industrial purposes, to help conserve freshwater resources.
- Recycling
- The practice of gathering and repurposing waste materials is called recycling.
- Renewable Energy
- Renewable Energy is any form of energy derived from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind, and hydropower, that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed. Unlike fossil fuels, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy sources are clean, sustainable, and provide a climate-friendly solution by producing little to no emissions.
- Renewable Energy Certificates
- Are incentives for the production and use of renewable energy. These are certificates that represent the generation of a certain amount of electricity from renewable energy sources.
- Resilience
- The capacity of a community or environment to recover quickly from disruptions. Resilience anticipates, manages, and adapts to the impacts of climate change. It involves building strength and capacity to bear some damage and to better withstand future climate shocks.
S
- Social Equity
- Social equity promotes inclusivity and fairness, fostering a society where all individuals can thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances. It ensures marginalised and disadvantaged communities have equal access to education, healthcare, jobs, and decision-making.
- Solar Energy
- Refers to the power harnessed from sunlight, capable of producing heat, causing chemical reactions, or generating electricity. This renewable energy source is essential for reducing carbon emissions and supporting a sustainable and thrivable future.
- Sustainability
- It is the practice of meeting present needs without permanently depleting or damaging natural resources, ensuring that future generations can meet their own needs. While temporary environmental impacts may occur, sustainability focuses on allowing natural systems to break-even achieving a ‘net zero’ state. It prioritises conservation, minimising long-term negative effects, and maintaining ecosystems at a capacity that ensures their future potential.
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Science-based farming practices that optimise yield meeting current agricultural needs while preserving resources for future generations. Sustainable Agriculture means making the agricultural system more resilient to droughts, floods and other climate change impacts, maintaining soil health, conserving water, and reducing the use of harmful chemicals, while promoting biodiversity and reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint.
- Sustainable Development
- Sustainable development is the economic progress that meets present needs without diminishing the capacity of the eco-systems to meet the needs of the future generations. It aims to balance growth, social equity, and environmental preservation for long-term well-being.
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
- SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals adopted by United Nations, that aim to address critical challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation, thereby creating a sustainable future for all living organisms on Earth, while encouraging global cooperation.
T
- The Great Reset
- The WEF describes The Great Reset as “a commitment to jointly and urgently build the foundations of our economic and social system for a more fair, sustainable and resilient future” (2020). The Great Reset has been the subject of conspiracy theories. Additionally, creating a sustainable future with a resilient economy involves changing how we work as people, as places, and as businesses.
- The THRIVE Platform
- The THRIVE Platform is a unique, first-of-a-kind world-class online modelling platform aimed at informing and guiding humanity towards thrivability. It achieves this by providing context-based performance measures linked to strategy, e.g. business models as informed by the sciences. Using big data analytics and advanced machine learning techniques, it utilises sense-making algorithms to assess performance within norms, relative to thresholds and allocation of available resources.
- The THRIVE Project
- The THRIVE Project is a for-impact social enterprise whose mission is to ensure the long-term well-being and ‘thrivability’ of all humanity. Our vision is a world beyond sustainability, where all life forms live in harmony. Included are the THRIVE Platform, the 12 THRIVE Framework Foundational Focus Factors, and education through publications, blogs, and various kinds of videos. The project is run by volunteers from all around the world and involves partnerships with other sustainable entities.
- Thrivability
- It is the ability to enhance the regenerative power of an ecosystem beyond sustainability or mere survival. Thrivability strives to improve the quality of life by sharing available resources in a more equitable manner for both present and future generations. Going beyond simply maintaining balance, it means that our actions actively improve the regenerative capacity of ecosystems, such as greening deserts or improving the biodiversity of rivers for both present and future generations to come.
- THRIVE Framework – Complex Wicked Problems
- A complex, wicked problem often refers to a social, cultural, political, or economic problem that is impossible to solve. This happens due to incomplete or contradictory information and knowledge, multiple actors, and the people involved. This includes a large economic or financial burden and the intersectionality of these problems with other problems and dimensions. Mammoth challenges ahead of us have deemed climate change as a ‘wicked problem’ (Breuer & Ludeke-Freund, 2017).
- THRIVE Framework – Context-Based Metrics
- Context-Based Metrics are about measuring the sustainability of a company based on the context in which they work. The more a company does to ensure its vital capital is sustainable compared to its impacts, the more sustainable they are. However, the ways in which an entity can ease its impacts depends on the context it works in (Haffar & Searcy 2018; UNEP 2015).
- THRIVE Framework – Entity Model
- There are two boundaries: a social floor, (where too few resources are provided for an entity to survive) and an environmental ceiling. If we take more resources than we can replenish we steal from future generations (Schaltegger et al., 2012; UNEP 2017; Evans et al., 2017).
- THRIVE Framework – Finite Resources
- Considering our planet is a closed system, there is a limited amount of matter it has to offer. Finite resources are non-renewable natural resources present on Earth (Rockstrom et al., 2009; Steffen et al. 2015; Raworth 2012).
- THRIVE Framework – Integral Thinking
- Integral thinking extends beyond traditional linear problem-solving methods. It’s about combining multi-capital and reporting beyond the triple bottom line. This approach integrates multiple aspects, allowing organisations striving to “do good to do well”, to better understand the wide-ranging implications of their actions. Integral thinking acknowledges that tensions often need resolution and that a seemingly good idea might have unintended negative consequences. It offers an interconnected approach to measure the social, economic, and environmental impacts of any group, product, or service (Eccles et al. 2018; IIRC 2013; Elkington 1997).
- THRIVE Framework – Materiality
- Materiality means what’s significant and relevant. It is the principle that guides organisations in identifying and prioritising non-financial topics that are most relevant and impactful to their operations and stakeholders. Materiality plays a crucial role in sustainability reporting. Sustainability reporting is the disclosure of a much broader set of information than just financial statements (UNEP 2015; Eccles 2012; Lai et al. 2017).
- THRIVE Framework – Multi-Capital
- Multi-Capital is a way of viewing capital beyond the financial. Other kinds of capital can include, but are not limited to: natural, human, social and relationships (McElroy & Thomas 2015; Esbjorn-Hargens 2015).
- THRIVE Framework – Regenerative Economy
- The linear economy is all about taking, making and wasting, when it comes to products. People extract, farm, fish, and engage in various processes to obtain materials. Furthermore, consumers obtain access to produced or processed materials, and then the product is discarded (often ending up in a landfill at the end of its life). Undoubtedly, transitioning to a Regenerative Economy embraces the Closed Loop principle. Instead of following a linear “take, make, and waste” approach, a Regenerative Economy promotes the design of recyclable products. Conversely, this approach reduces the need for extensive resource extraction from the planet and also decreases greenhouse gas emissions associated with refining and smelting raw materials. See also Closed Loop (Geissdoerfer et al. 2017, Webster et al., 2015).
- THRIVE Framework – Science-Based Targets
- Science-based targets are targets informed by the sciences, such as the IPCC “Paris Agreement”; an international treaty on climate change that is legally binding. 196 countries and territories agreed in 2015 to address the climate crisis through the implementation of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SBTi 2018).
- THRIVE Framework – Strong Sustainability
- Strong sustainability ensures that natural resources are understood as finite. In other words, resources can’t be exchanged for money (Upward & Jones 2016).
- THRIVE Framework – Systemic Holistic Model
- The Systemic Holistic Model brings together the 12 foundational focus factors operating across the four quadrants. Using leading backcasting techniques, it develops the trajectory and guidance towards a more prosperous future for the benefit of all of humanity.
- THRIVE Framework – Systems Thinking
- Systems thinking is a way of looking at the bigger picture and seeing how the components that make it up contribute to a possible outcome (Elliot et al., 2011; Lang et al. 2012).
- THRIVE Framework – Values-Based Innovation
- Values-based innovation takes into account the values we care about most. Some of these values include: human life, healthy societies and ecosystems, fair policies, equity, social justice, and other causes that engineer for a better world. It is these values that drive innovation and the design and development of solutions to many of our complex wicked problems. (Breuer et al. 2016, Lüdeke-Freund et al. 2016, Seiler et al. 2022)
U
- Upcycling
- Upcycling is the creative process of repurposing discarded materials or items into products of higher quality or value, often adding artistic or practical enhancements. Unlike recycling, which simply focuses on reuse, upcycling reduces waste while conserving resources, promoting thrivable practices for a regenerative future.
W
- Water Scarcity
- Water scarcity happens when there are insufficient freshwater resources to meet the demand of a region. It can be due to lack of natural water availability, inadequate supply infrastructure, unaffordable water costs, or overpopulation. It highlights the urgent need for efficient water management and equitable distribution to support thriving ecosystems and communities.
- Water Security
- Having sustained access to an affordable supply of water, avoiding shortages to meet the needs of drinking, sanitation, and hygiene for people, while maintaining productive economies in agriculture, industry, and energy.
- World Economic Forum (WEF)
- The World Economic Forum is the International Organisation for Public-Private Cooperation (WEF, n.d.) It is a global institution comprising both public and private enterprises across the globe.