California Climate Change Glossary

Letter B

Baseline Emissions. The emissions that would occur without policy intervention (in a business-as-usual scenario). Baseline estimates are needed to determine the effectiveness of emissions reduction programs (often called mitigation strategies). (EPA)

Berlin Mandate. A ruling negotiated at the first Conference of the Parties (COP 1), which took place in March, 1995, concluding that the present commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change are not adequate. Under the Framework Convention, developed countries pledged to take measures aimed at returning their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. The Berlin Mandate establishes a process that would enable the Parties to take appropriate action for the period beyond 2000, including a strengthening of developed country commitments, through the adoption of a protocol or other legal instruments. (EPA)

Biogeochemical Cycle. The chemical interactions that take place among the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. (EPA)

Biomass. Organic nonfossil material of biological origin. For example, trees and plants are biomass. (EPA)

Biomass Energy. Energy produced by combusting renewable biomass materials such as wood. The carbon dioxide emitted from burning biomass will not increase total atmospheric carbon dioxide if this consumption is done on a sustainable basis (i.e., if in a given period of time, regrowth of biomass takes up as much carbon dioxide as is released from biomass combustion). Biomass energy is often suggested as a replacement for fossil fuel combustion which has large greenhouse gas emissions. (EPA)

Biome. A naturally occurring community of flora and fauna (or the region occupied by such a community) adapted to the particular conditions in which they occur (e.g. tundra). (IPCC)

Biosphere. The region on land, in the oceans, and in the atmosphere inhabited by living organisms. (EPA)

Borehole. Any exploratory hole drilled into the Earth or ice to gather geophysical data. Climate researchers often take ice core samples, a type of borehole, to predict atmospheric composition in earlier years. (EPA)

Bubble. A system which lets several countries meet a reduction target together while having different individual targets.

Burden. The total mass of a certain gaseous substance in the atmosphere. (Lenn)

Byrd-Hagel Resolution. A decision by the US Senate not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol unless it involved "meaningful" participation by developing countries. They argue in their turn that they don't see why they should slow their development by curbing their emissions when they didn't cause the problem in the first place. (BBC)