Climate Essentials for Accountants

This short glossary explains common climate terms and jargon associated with climate.

 What's covered

1. What are carbon emissions?
2. Carbon dioxide equivalents
3. Carbon calculator
4. Carbon budgets
5. Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions
6. Measuring carbon emissions 
7. What is COP27?
8. The Paris Agreement
9. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
10. COP27 - From summits to solutions

• Official Irish Government climate jargon buster website has definitions of a range of additional terms relating to policy, energy and more.  

• SEAI’s Energy Academy includes a module on Decarbonisation for Business, which explains a range of terms relating to decarbonisation and is specifically designed for businesses.

• A longer glossary of sustainability terminology can be found in the Resources section of the Chartered Accountants Ireland Sustainability Hub.

In 2022, Chartered Accountants Ireland, ICAS and ICAEW joined forces to celebrate Chartered Accountants driving action on the climate crisis. Chartered Accountants Ireland are kicking this off again in 2022 for COP27.

There are many ways our members are acting on the climate crisis, and if you are too, we want to hear from you!    

Being active in the climate crisis can mean raising awareness of climate change through your work i.e. through tax policy, education, governance issues, or CSR work, or bringing your skills to managing, measuring and reporting on climate issues.