Glossar

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) serves as a central point of contact for organizations, cities and investors to make their environmental impact transparent. More than 9,600 companies worldwide report their emissions and environmental strategies to CDP through a precise evaluation system that ranges from A to D-. These assessments, which cover key areas such as climate change, water management and forest protection, are a key indicator of corporate environmental responsibility. They help investors and consumers make more sustainable decisions and thus contribute to more sustainable global development.

Carbon accounting refers to the systematic measurement and monitoring of emissions of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases. It is used to prepare a CO₂ balance sheet that enables companies and other organizations to understand their impact on the climate. In contrast to sustainability accounting, carbon accounting only takes into account environmental effects, while sustainability accounting also takes social and government aspects into account.

Carbon compensation means offsetting emissions by reducing them elsewhere. Climate change mitigation projects, such as reforestation projects, generate a specific amount of CO₂ certificates based on the estimated amount of emissions reduced or saved as a result of this project. Other parties, such as governments or companies, can buy these CO₂ certificates to offset their emissions on the balance sheet. On an individual level, compensation can be made by agreeing to pay a certain amount in addition to a purchase, which is then used to finance such mitigation projects.

A transferable or tradable instrument that represents one metric tonne of CO2eq emission reduction or removal and is issued and verified according to recognised quality standards.

The carbon footprint measures the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases released directly or indirectly through human activities such as energy consumption, transportation, or production. It serves as an indicator of climate change and is expressed in metric tons of CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e).

A carbon footprint calculator is a tool for converting activity data into its carbon equivalent by multiplying the value by the corresponding emission factor. The result is an estimate of the carbon emissions caused by a specific activity.

Carbon leakage describes a scenario in which companies may relocate production to countries that have less stringent emissions regulations due to climate policy costs, which can potentially result in an increase in overall emissions. This issue is particularly relevant in energy-intensive sectors, where the risk of carbon leakage is more pronounced.

The carbon tax (CO₂ tax) is a government-imposed levy on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. Its goal is to create incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote the transition to more climate-friendly technologies. By pricing CO₂ emissions, environmentally friendly behavior is financially rewarded, while climate-damaging actions become more expensive.