A-B
Adaptation (to climate change)
Modifying actions and behaviours to cope with the changed situation; adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic effects in order to moderate the harm they may cause (12)
Adaptive capacity
Ability of a system to adapt to climate change and cope with its consequences (12)
Age-dependency ratio
Ratio of the number of people in dependent age groups compared to economically productive age groups (2)
Agreement
(a) general term for all types of international agreement including the widest range of international instruments (b) specific term for some instruments that are less formal than conventions or treaties and often deal with a narrower range of subject matter (14)
Air pollution
Presence of abnormal amounts of chemical constituents in the air capable of causing harm to living organisms (7)
Algal bloom
Rapid increase in the population of microscopic algae in water (8)
Aquifer
An underground layer of water-bearing rock (4)
Attitudes
Individual preferences or opinions about what a person likes or dislikes (13)
Bamako convention
Convention on the ban of the import into africa and the control of transboundary movement and management of hazardous wastes within africa (14)
Basel convention
Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal (14)
Behaviour change communication
Strategy and methods for communicating messages to communities and individuals about desirable changes to their behaviour e.g. to improve hygiene practices (13)
Beliefs
Firmly-held states of mind about what is true or false (13)
Bioaccumulation
Gradual increase of persistent pollutants in the body of animals as they eat contaminated food (8)
Biodegradation
Break down of complex substances into simpler substances by biological processes, mostly the action of bacteria (8)
Biodiversity
The variety of all life forms (1)
Biomagnification
Gradual increase of pollutants in the bodies of different organisms linked by a food chain (8)
Biomass
Biological material derived from living organisms, such as wood (1)
Black energy economy
An economy based on carbon-intensive fossil fuels such as coal and oil (12)