The Hindu Editorial (Time for action) – Nov 29, 2023

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The Hindu Editorial (Time for action) – Nov 29, 2023:

Conference of the Parties (COP) (noun) – The Conference of Parties (COP) is the apex decision-making body of the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC was formed in 1994 to stabilize the greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the earth from the threat of climate change. COP members have been meeting every year since the year 1995. As of 2022, the number of member countries in the UNFCCC has reached 198. The first conference (COP1) was held in 1995 in Berlin. The 27th session (COP27) was held in 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
COP-28 (noun) – The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023. It will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
signatory (noun) – the person who signed an official document/agreement. (in this context, it is a country that signs an agreement).
definitive (adjective) – definite, decisive, final, conclusive, categorical.
fortnight (noun) – a period of two weeks/fourteen days continuously.
activist (adjective) – a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause).
indigenous (adjective) – relating to a member of the original group of people living in a place; native, original, aboriginal, ancient, primeval.
converge (verb) – meet, join, come together.
edition (noun) – a particular instance of a regular programme; version.
affair (noun) – event, happening, occurrence, episode, phenomenon.
inch ahead (phrasal verb) – move ahead very slowly and gradually.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (noun) – The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. Today, it has near-universal membership. The 197 countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention. Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of the UNFCCC.
act on (phrasal verb) – obey, follow, act in accordance with, comply with, adhere to, abide by, conform to.
wean off (phrasal verb) – to make someone accept or adjust his/her habit by gradually stop using/depending on something.
fossil fuel (noun) – non renewable resources (or fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are formed from the buried/deposited organic materials).
Paris Agreement/Accord (noun) – The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention (agreement) and for the first time brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
make good on something (phrase) – to do what you say, keep a promise, fulfill an obligation/commitment.
collective (adjective) – common, shared, joint, combined.
strive (verb) – try, try hard, aim, aspire, seek, struggle, make every effort.
hold (verb) – cause to stay at a certain value/level; remain, stay, keep up, continue without changing.
pre-industrial level (noun) – In principle, ‘pre-industrial levels’ could refer to any period of time before the start of the industrial revolution. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C uses the reference period 1850–1900 to represent pre-industrial temperature.
unanimously (adverb) – without opposition, agreed to (by everyone involved).
humanity (noun) – humankind, the human race, human beings, humans, people.
collectively (adverb) – as a group, as a whole; generally.
bear (verb) – endure, tolerate, put up, withstand, suffer, undergo, experience, weather, go through.
price (noun) – consequence, result, cost, lost, sacrifice, disadvantage, suffering, affliction.
breach (verb) – contravene, offend, break, violate, fail to comply with, disobey, defy, encroach on, trespass on, infringe on, obtrude on.
bit (noun) – a small part of something.
carbon emission (noun) – the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
(carbon) emissions (noun) – Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas produced as a byproduct of human activities. Burning fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—is the number one source of global CO2 emissions.
dreaded (adjective) – cautioned, forewarned, predicted, apprehended; frightening, terrible, frightful, terrifying, disastrous.
threshold (noun) – it is an amount, level, or limit of something. Once the threshold is reached, something else happens or changes; lower limit, starting point, point of entry.
decade (noun) – a period of ten years.
broad (adjective) – comprehensive, extensive, wide, general, wide-ranging, multidisciplinary.
industrialised (adjective) – (of a country or region) developed.
disproportionately (adverb) – inordinately, excessively, immoderately, unduly, unreasonably, unjustifiably.
fair share (noun) – a reasonable amount/portion.
given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.
sustained (adjective) – continuing for a long time; continued for an extended period.
premise on (verb) – base something on.
renewable energy (noun) – green/clean energy; energy generated from natural resources (such as water, wind & solar energy).
spell (verb) – cause, lead to, result in, bring about, point to; signify, signal, augur, herald, promise.
infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.
compensate (verb) – make amends, make restitution, make reparation, make recompense.
adopt (verb) – agree to, accept, embrace, assume, acquire.
cleaner (comparative adjective) environment-friendly.
consensus (noun) – an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.
weather (verb) – survive, withstand, endure, come through, live through.
bolster (verb) – strengthen, support, make stronger, reinforce, buttress.
onerous (adjective) – difficult, tough, troublesome, stressful, burdensome.
suspicion (noun) – mistrust, distrust, doubt, qualm, mistrust, misgiving, apprehension, lack of faith/confidence/trust.
de-globalisation (noun) – opposite of globalization. A process of reversing or decreasing interdependence and integration among the countries.
globalisation (noun) – It refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through the movement of goods, services, and capital across borders. The term sometimes also refers to the movement of people (labour) and knowledge (technology) across international borders. There are also broader cultural, political, and environmental dimensions of globalization.
reprisal (noun) – retaliation, counterattack, counterstroke; revenge, vengeance, retribution, recrimination, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, tit for tat
constituency (noun) – a group of people with shared political opinions.
play out (phrasal verb) – happen, occur arise, transpire, come about, take place.
take the stage (phrase) – attract attention onto oneself; to become the center of attention.
Global Stocktake (noun) – In 2015, when countries committed in Paris to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century and “as far as possible” below 1.5 degrees Celsius, they also agreed to periodically review, or take stock of efforts, made by individual countries in containing greenhouse gases and transitioning their fossil-fuel dependent energy systems to renewable sources. This larger exercise called the ‘global stocktake,’ is expected to take place once in five years. It’s like taking inventory; countries laying out what they have so far done to achieve commitments laid out in the Paris Agreement.
stocktake (verb) – review, assess, analyze (one’s situation).
operationalisation (noun) – the process of causing something into operation.
Loss and Damage (L&D) Fund (noun) – At the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP 19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Warsaw, Poland, in 2013, representatives of member countries formally agreed to establish the Loss and Damage (L&D) fund. It was being created to provide financial and technical assistance to economically developing nations that were incurring Loss and Damage (L&D) due to climate change.
by nature (phrase) – naturally, of course, obviously, clearly, needless to say, as may be expected.
self-congratulatory (adjective) – self-satisfied, self-admired, self–glorifying, self-promoting, overly complacent, boastful, bombastic.
deliver (verb) – provide, implement, carry out.
elaborate (adjective) – complicated, detailed, intricate, complex.
caveat (noun) – warning/caution of provision, condition, clause.
live up to (phrasal verb) – satisfy, fulfil, achieve, meet.
declared (adjective) – formally asserted/announced.
conclave (noun) – meeting, conference, summit (international meeting/conference of heads of state/government).