The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) just published an excellent piece of work, “The Climate Dictionary: Speak Climate Fluently", defining 40 frequently used climate terms in a simple way, addressing the need for accurate, easy-to-understand information about climate change.
The dictionary defines important basic terminologies such as the distinction between weather and climate:
𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 “…refers to atmospheric conditions at a particular time in a particular location, including temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, wind, and visibility. Weather conditions do not happen in isolation, they have a ripple effect. The weather in one region will eventually affect the weather hundreds or thousands of kilometers away.”
𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 “…is the average of weather patterns in a specific area over a longer period of time, usually 30 or more years, that represents the overall state of the climate system.”
The dictionary goes beyond strictly climate change-related items, and also covers such terminologies like "blue economy" and "greenwashing".
