Glossary of useful terms 

Commonly used terms on this website are shown below in this glossary section.



A

ABI
Annual Business Inquiry
Acid Deposition
Acid deposition, commonly known as acid rain, occurs when emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and other industrial processes undergo complex chemical reactions in the atmosphere and fall to the earth as wet deposition (rain, snow, cloud, fog) or dry deposition (dry particles, gas)
AP-42
Emissions Factors & AP 42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors (US database)
APU
Auxiliary Power Unit
AQMA
Air Quality Management Area (UK)
AS
Aviation Spirit
ATF
Aviation Turbine Fuel
ATM
Air Traffic Movement
ATOC
Association of Train Operating Companies

B

BAU
Business as usual
BCA
British Cement Association
BCF
British Coatings Federation
BERR
Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (replaced by the BIS)
BGS
British Geological Survey
BIS
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
BMW
Biodegradable Municipal Waste
BREF
Best Available Technology Reference
BSOG
DfT's Bus Services Operators Grant

C

CAA
Civil Aviation Authority
CCA
Climate Change Agreement
CCGT
Combined Cycle Gas Turbine
CD
Crown Dependency
CEH
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
CHP
Combined heat and power
CLRTAP
Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
CNG
Compressed Natural Gas
Co-firing
The burning of biomass products in fossil fuel power stations

D

DECC
Department of Energy & Climate Change
DEFRA
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DERV
Diesel Fuel used in road vehicles
DfT
Department for Transport
DoENI
Department of Environment Northern Ireland
DPF
Diesel Particulate Filters
DRDNI
Department for Regional Development Northern Ireland
DUKES
Digest of UK Energy Statistics

E

EE
Energy Efficiency
EEMS
Environmental Emissions Monitoring System
EfW
Energy from Waste
EIONET
European Environment Information and Observation Network
EMEP/CORINAIR
European Monitoring and Evaluation Program Emission Inventory Guidebook
EMIR
Emission database of the County Administrative Boards
EMIS
Swiss national air pollution database
EPRTR
European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register
EUETS
European Union Emissions Trading Scheme
EUMM
European Union Monitoring Mechanism
Eutrophication
Over-enrichment of a water body with nutrients, resulting in excessive growth of organisms and depletion of oxygen concentration

F

FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FGD
Flue gas desulphurisation

G

GCV
Gross Calorific Value
GHG
Greenhouse gases
GHGI
Greenhouse gas inventory
GWh
Giga Watt Hour (unit of energy)
GWP
Global Warming Potential

H

HDV
Heavy Duty Vehicle (includes lorries and buses)
HGV
Heavy Goods Vehicles

I

ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organisation
IEF
Implied Emission Factor
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPPC
Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
ISR
Inventory of Statutory Releases (DoENI)
ISSB
Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau

K

Kt
Kilo tonne
KtC
Kilo tonne of Carbon
KtC-e
Kilo tonne of Carbon-equivalent (taking account of GWP)

L

LA-IPPC
Local Authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
LAPC
Local air pollution control
LCPD
Large Combustion Plant Directive
LDV
Light Duty Vehicle
LPG
Liquefied petroleum gas (Propane/Butane)
LTO
Aviation Landing & Take Off

M

MoD
Ministry of Defence
MPP
Major Power Producers (i.e. most power station operators)
MSW
Municipal Solid Waste
Mtherms
Megatherms
Mtonnes
Megatonne

N

NAEI
National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory
NECD
National Emission Ceiling Directive
NFR
Nomenclature for Reporting
NIEA
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
NMVOC
Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compounds

O

OCGT
Open Cycle Gas Turbine
ONS
Office for National Statistics
ORR
Office of Rail Regulation
OT
Overseas Territories

P

PAHs
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
PAMs
Policies and Measures
PI
Pollution Inventory (of the Environment Agency of England & Wales)
PM
Particulate Matter
POC
Port of call
POPs
Persistent Organic Pollutants
ppm
Parts per million
PRODCOM
Production Communautaire (Provides statistics on the production of manufactured goods)
PSDH
Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow

Q

QA/QC
Quality assurance and quality control

R

Radiative Forcing
A measure of how the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system is influenced when factors that affect climate are altered
RESTATs
Renewable Energy Statistics (published by DECC)
Ricardo-AEA
UK Inventory compiler (Ricardo-AEA)
RME
Rapeseed Methyl Ester fuel
RTFO
Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation
RVP
Reid Vapour Pressure

S

SCCP
Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins
SEPA
Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
Smog (photochemical smog)
Literally a contraction of "smoke" and "fog"; the colloquial term used for photochemical fog, which includes ozone and numerous other contaminants. Smog usually adds a brownish haze to the atmosphere

T

TFEIP
Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections
THC
Total Hydrocarbons
Transboundary Pollution
Pollution that originates in one country but, by crossing the border through pathways of water or air, is able to cause damage to the environment in another country
TRL
Transport Research Laboratory
Tropospheric Ozone
Ozone (O3) that occurs near the surface of the Earth. In pollution it causes concern because of its toxic effects
TSP
Total Suspended Particulate

U

UEP
Updated Energy Projection (UK energy forecasts produced by DECC)
UKCCP
UK Climate Change Programme
UKD
UK Gas Distributors
UKMY
UK Minerals Yearbook
UKPIA
UK Petroleum Industries Association
UN/ECE
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNFCCC
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
US EPA
United States Environment Protection Agency
USLP
Ultra-low Sulphur Petrol

W

WID
Waste Incineration Directive
WML
Waste Management Licensing