Arabic Sustainability Dictionary

Air quality

The condition of the air with respect to concentrations of pollutants that affect human health and ecosystems.

Desertification

Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from climatic variations and human activities.

Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

A formal process for identifying, predicting and evaluating the environmental effects of a proposed project before a decision is made.

Environmental management system (EMS)

A set of policies, processes and practices that enables an organisation to manage its environmental impacts and improve performance.

Hazardous waste

Waste that is toxic, flammable, corrosive, reactive or otherwise harmful to health or the environment and is classified as hazardous under national law.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

Synthetic gases used mainly as refrigerants that do not deplete ozone but have high global warming potentials.

ISO 14001 (ISO 14001)

The international standard that specifies requirements for an environmental management system.

Kigali Amendment

The 2016 amendment to the Montreal Protocol that commits countries to phase down the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons.

Land degradation

The reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of land caused by human activities or natural processes.

Microplastics

Plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres that persist in water, soil and organisms.

Montreal Protocol

The 1987 international treaty that phases out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Gases, mainly nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, formed during high-temperature combustion, which contribute to smog and acid rain.

Non-hazardous waste

Waste that is not classified as hazardous under applicable law, such as most paper, packaging and food waste.

Ozone-depleting refrigerants

Refrigerants such as R-22 that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer; they are controlled under the Montreal Protocol and are reported beside, not inside, the GHG scopes.

Ozone-depleting substances (ODS)

Chemicals, such as CFCs and HCFCs, that destroy stratospheric ozone and are controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

Particulate matter (PM)

Microscopic solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, such as PM10 and PM2.5, that can harm respiratory and cardiovascular health.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Toxic chemicals that persist in the environment, accumulate in living organisms and are regulated under the Stockholm Convention.

Planetary boundaries

A scientific framework of nine Earth-system processes, such as climate change and biosphere integrity, with limits within which humanity can operate safely.

Polluter pays principle

The principle that those who cause pollution should bear the costs of preventing it and remedying the damage.

Pollution

The introduction of substances or energy into air, water or soil that harm human health or the environment.

Precautionary principle

The principle that lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason to postpone cost-effective measures to prevent serious or irreversible environmental harm.

Soil contamination

The presence of hazardous substances in soil at levels that pose risks to human health or ecosystems.

Sulphur oxides (SOx)

Gases, mainly sulphur dioxide, released by burning sulphur-containing fuels, which cause acid rain and respiratory harm.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Organic chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperature and contribute to ground-level ozone formation.