Scotland's Climate Change Plan 2026-2040: children's version

Glossary

Biodegradable waste – is material that may quickly break down by bacteria or any other natural organisms without contributing to pollution

Biodiversity – all the different kinds of plants, animals and tiny living things in a specific place.

Circular economy – it's about making products that can be repaired, reused, or recycled so they don't become waste.

Climate-friendly/ eco-friendly – taking care of our Earth by making choices that help protect it.

Deposit Return Scheme – it’s a program where when you buy a bottle from a shop you will pay a little extra but you can get that money back if you return the bottle empty to the supermarket.

Ecosystems – an ecosystem is made up of all of the living (animals and plants) and non-living (for example sand and rocks) things in an area. A peatland, a grassland, an ocean and a forest are all examples of ecosystems.

Electricity grid – a network of power lines, substations, and transformers that moves electricity from where it's made to where it's used, like your home. Think of it like a highway system for electricity, connecting power plants to towns and cities so everyone can have power for their lights, TVs, and computers.

Flood/Flooding – a flood is when a lot of water overflows onto land that is normally dry.

Fossil Fuels – these include petroleum (oil), coal, and natural gas made from the ancient remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago, similar to rock fossils.

Freight – it is items that are moved from one place to another, like boxes of toys or food. It is transported by big vehicles like trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes.

Fuel Poverty – a home isn't warm enough to be healthy and safe because a family cannot afford to pay for the energy needed to heat it, often leading to a difficult choice between paying for energy, food, or other essentials.

Global – global is a way to describe something having to do with the whole earth.

Global warming – the Earth is getting hotter because of gases released from things like cars and factories. It means the whole planet's temperature is slowly rising, which can cause changes like ice caps melting and more floods or storms

Greenhouse gases – greenhouse gases are gases in the air that trap heat acting like an invisible ‘blanket’. Right now, the planet has too much greenhouse gases made by humans in the air. We need to both stop making as much greenhouse gases and store some of the extra greenhouse gases already here.

Heat Networks – these are shared heating systems that supply heat from a central source to several buildings.

Heat pumps – a heat pump uses electricity to either warm up your house by taking heat from the outside air or ground or cool it down by moving the heat from inside to outside.

Heat wave – a period of time during which the temperature is a lot higher than normal.

Industry/Industries – a big group of businesses that make similar things or do similar jobs, like the toy industry or the farming industry. It's also the work of making things or providing services, which creates jobs and helps the economy by making all the stuff and services that people need every day

Insulation – materials that prevent heat or electricity from moving easily

Net Zero – means finding a balance between greenhouse gases released in the air and those we remove from it. The goal is to ensure that our planet remains at a comfortable temperature so that all living things, from plants to animals, can grow and survive.

Non-road mobile machinery – machines that move around but don’t drive on roads likes cars or buses, for example tractors on farms.

Peatlands – peatlands refer to areas of land where the top layer of soil is made up of peat that supports specific and often unique types of vegetation, particularly water absorbing mosses. Peat is a type of soil made up of dead plants that have not completely rotted. It is formed in wet ground that is not well drained. It builds up very slowly, around 1mm/year, so it takes thousands of years for areas of very deep peat to form.

Petrol and diesel – fuels made from crude oil, a "fossil fuel" found deep underground.

Renewable energy/ renewable sources – power from natural resources, like sunshine, wind, and water, that never run out and can be used over and over again.

Soil – top layer of Earth's surface, made of tiny pieces of rock, dead plants and animals (organic matter), air and water. It is home for plants and helps them to grow by giving them nutrients and water, and is also home to billions of living creatures (soil biodiversity). Healthy soil is essential for growing food and providing a range of other benefits we need.