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adaptation (to climate change) modifying actions and behaviours to cope with the changed situation; adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic effects in order to moderate the harm they may cause (12)

adaptive capacity ability of a system to adapt to climate change and cope with its consequences (12)

age-dependency ratio ratio of the number of people in dependent age groups compared to economically productive age groups (2)

agreement (a) general term for all types of international agreement  including the widest range of international instruments (b) specific term for some instruments that are less formal than conventions or treaties and often deal with a narrower range of subject matter (14)

air pollution presence of abnormal amounts of chemical constituents in the air capable of causing harm to living organisms (7)

algal bloom rapid increase in the population of microscopic algae in water (8)

aquifer an underground layer of water-bearing rock (4)

attitudes individual preferences or opinions about what a person likes or dislikes (13)

Bamako Convention Convention on The Ban of The Import into Africa and The Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes Within Africa (14)

Basel Convention Convention on The Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (14)

behaviour change communication strategy and methods for communicating messages to communities and individuals about desirable changes to their behaviour e.g. to improve hygiene practices (13)

beliefs firmly-held states of mind about what is true or false (13)

bioaccumulation gradual increase of persistent pollutants in the body of animals as they eat contaminated food (8)

biodegradation break down of complex substances into simpler substances by biological processes, mostly the action of bacteria (8)

biodiversity the variety of all life forms (1)

biomagnification gradual increase of pollutants in the bodies of different organisms linked by a food chain (8)

biomass biological material derived from living organisms, such as wood (1)

black energy economy an economy based on carbon-intensive fossil fuels such as coal and oil (12)

carbon sink natural systems that absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (9)

catchment area also known as watershed, the total area of land that slopes towards and drains into a river (12)

cleaner production reducing the impact of industry on the environment (8)

climate average weather over a period of 30 years or more (9)

climate change change in the average climate over time taking place more quickly than expected from natural variation (9)

climate variability natural short term fluctuations in the expected average climate (9)

concentration amount of a substance in a known volume of water or air (7)

condense change of physical state from gas to liquid (4)

Constitution (of Ethiopia) supreme law of Ethiopia (15)

convention formal multilateral agreement usually open for for participation by the global community of nations that becomes legally binding on those that ratify it (14)

critical times (for handwashing) times when hands should be thoroughly washed to remove possible contamination from pathogens including after urinating or defecating, before and after eating or preparing food, after cleaning a child's bottom (13)

declaration an international agreement that states aspirations rather than legally binding obligations (14)

deforestation clearance of forest areas that are not replanted or allowed to regrow (1)

demographic transition a process of fundamental change by which a country moves gradually from high birth and death rates to low birth and low death rates (2)

deoxygenation reduction in concentration of dissolved oxygen levels in water (8)

directive level of law below regulation; describe how regulations should be implemented (15)

drought absence of rain for an extended period, often for a season or more (10)

early warning system a system to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful information to people threatened by hazards (12)

ecology branch of science concerned with studying ecosystems and the relationships between organisms (micro-organisms, plants, animals and people) and between them and their environment (8)

economic development broader concept than economic growth that also includes aspects of human welfare (3)

economic growth increase in worth of a national economy, usually measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (3)

ecosystem living organisms and their physical environment and the interactions between them (1)

ecosystem services benefits that people obtain from ecosystems e.g. the provision of drinking water and food (12)

El Niño climate pattern caused by unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific Ocean (10)

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process that aims to prevent damage from developments by identifying potential impacts and mitigating their effects (14)

eutrophication build up of nutrients in surface waters such as river and lakes, causing excessive plant growth (8)

evaporate change of physical state from liquid to gas (4)

e-waste electronic equipment that has been thrown away (1)

exposure unprotected; a set of conditions that facilitates the entrance of a pollutant or contaminant to the human body (8)

extreme weather events periods of weather outside the normal range of weather conditions (10)

faecal-oral transmission transmission route of many diseases in which people are infected when they ingest pathogens from faeces through the mouth (8)

flash floods floods that happen due to intense rainfall in a localised area and usually drain away quite quickly (10)

food security when all people at all times have physical and economic access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life (2)

fossil fuels fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas that are formed over millions of years by natural processes from decayed plants and animals (1)

freshwater water with a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1% (4)

GDP per capita total GDP value divided by the population of the country (3)

gender issue social or cultural issue that affects men and women differently (13)

global warming sustained increase in the Earth's average surface temperature (9)

green economy a sustainable economy and society with zero carbon emissions where all energy is derived from renewable resources (12)

greenhouse effect natural process in which the Earth's atmosphere traps heat energy from the sun in a similar way to glass trapping heat inside a greenhouse (9)

greenhouse gases gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that contribute to human-induced climate change (1)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year, usually measured in US dollars (3)

groundwater water that is held in underground rocks (4)

hazardous waste waste that contains potentially harmful material, for example, toxic, infectious, corrosive, explosive, or flammable materials (1)

heatwave when the daily maximum temperature of more than five consecutive days exceeds the average maximum temperature by 5oC (10)

heavy metals group of toxic chemical pollutants that contain compounds of persistent metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium and others (7)

human development continuous improvement of human well-being and quality of life (3)

Human Development Index (HDI) composite index of human well-being that is based on life expectancy, education levels and standard of living (3)

hydrology the study of water (4)

impermeable water or other liquids cannot pass through (6)

integrated catchment management approach to water management based on the geographical area of the catchment that recognises the connections of the whole water system, links between land and water use etc. (12)

knowledge all the information we have learned and synthesised during our growth and development (13)

land cover the observed biophysical cover on the Earth's surface, e.g. grassland, forest, croplands (6)

land use the ways in which humans make use of land; the arrangements, activities and inputs by people to produce, change or maintain a certain land cover type (6)

La Niña climate pattern caused by unusually cool temperatures in the Pacific Ocean (10)

leachate highly concentrated liquid pollutant that seeps from solid wastes into soil (7)

leaching process whereby liquids seep out or are washed out by rain into the soil below (1)

life expectancy average number of years that a person may expect to live (3)

liquid waste human excreta (both faeces and urine), industrial wastewaters, and other forms of waste from water-using activities (7)

mega-city urban area of greater than ten million people (5)

migration movement of people from one place to another (5)

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) eight international development goals that were established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000 to be achieved by 2015 (3)

mitigation (of climate change) reducing the causes of climate change e.g. by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (12)

noise pollution unacceptable levels of noise in work, residential and recreational places (7)

non-point source (of pollution) also known as diffuse pollution; a source of pollution that is indistinct or extends across a wide area and where the exact point of origin cannot be easily identified (7)

non-renewable resources resources that cannot be replenished by natural means at the same rates that they are consumed (1)

organic matter anything derived from living organisms such as human and animals wastes, decaying plants, food waste (7)

overfishing catching fish at faster rate than they can reproduce (1)

pathogen disease-causing agent (1)

pathway (of pollution) the way a pollutant moves from the source, enters the environment and reaches the recipient (7)

percolate trickle through (4)

peri-urban  areas around a city or town in transition between the urban and rural areas and having some characteristics of both (5)

permeability the ease with which water moves through soil or rock.(1)

permeable water or other liquids can pass through (4)

persistent organic pollutants (POPs) group of toxic and persistent synthetic organic pollutants including many pesticides such as DDT, aldrin (7)

persistent pollutant pollutants that remain intact when released into the environment because they do not break down by natural processes (7)

pH measure of acidity and alkailinity on a scale from 0 to 14. pH 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic and above 7 is alkaline (8)

point source (of pollution) identifiable points or places where the source of pollution can be easily located (7)

policy statements of overall purpose that set out goals and provide principles that should be followed to achieve those goals (15)

polluter pays principle whoever is responsible for pollution should pay for the damage caused (8)

pollution introduction into the environment of substances liable to cause harm to humans and other living organisms (1)

pollution control measures taken after wastes have been produced to limit the damage they may cause (8)

pollution prevention avoiding or minimising the generation of wastes that produce pollutants (8)

population composition characteristics of a group of people in terms of factors such as their sex, age, marital status, education, occupation, and relationship to the head of household (2)

population pyramid graph that displays a population’s age and sex composition (2)

ppm parts per million; a unit of concentration (7)

practices routine actions, doing something in the same way every time (13)

precautionary principle be cautious rather than take risks about unknown consequences; do not to throw any waste to the environment even if you are not certain that damage will result (8)

precipitation collective term for rain and snow (4)

proclamation declared by the parliament, the level of law in Ethiopia below the Constitution (15)

programme any set of related events, activities or projects (15)

protocol supplement to a convention or treaty that adds details of rights or obligations (14)

pull factors factors that attract people to urban areas (5)

push factors factors that drive people away from the countryside (5)

ratified agreement by individual nation states to be legally bound by a convention or treaty (14)

recipient (of pollution) the place or part of the environment or organisms affected by pollution (7)

recovery of materials or energy from wastes, for example through composting and incineration (8)

recycling use of discarded materials as raw materials that are taken back into a production process (8)

reduction (waste) minimisation of waste by efficient use of raw materials and changing the technology for producing items (8)

regulation level of law below proclamation; detailed descriptions of the provisions of proclamations (15)

renewable resources resources that can be replenished naturally, if they are managed properly and not over-exploited (1)

replacement level number of births to each generation required to replace the generation before (2)

reproductive age group all women aged 15-49 years (2)

reservoirs all stores or reserves of water (4)

resilience ability of an individual, household, community, society or system to withstand, cope with and quickly recover from shocks and stresses (12)

reuse using an item more than once (8)

river floods when the water level in the river increases and water spills over the top of the river banks (10)

run-off rainwater that 'runs off' the land i.e. flows over the land surface (4)

saturated zone subsurface zone of rocks where pore spaces are completely filled with water (4)

septic tank underground tanks for containment of sewage; sludge settles to the bottom of the tank and liquid is discharged, usually into the soil (6)

sewage mixture of human excreta from water-flushed toilets with other wastewater (7)

sex ratio ratio of males to females in a given population, usually expressed as the number of males for every 100 females (2)

slums urban areas that are heavily populated with sub-standard housing and very poor living conditions (5)

social environment aspects of our environment derived from human and social structures and institutions e.g. services provided by schools, churches, mosques, shops, and from the community's attitudes and behavior (13)

solid waste any solid material that is assumed not to be useful and therefore thrown away (7)

source (of pollution) the location where pollutants are released into the environment (7)

standard of living level of wealth, comfort and material goods available to people (3)

strategy provides details for implementation of a policy (15)

suspended particulates (also known as suspended solids)  small solid particles suspended in water (4)

sustainability ability of something to sustain itself or last a long time; an approach that combines environmental, economic and social aspects to produce long lasting development or prosperity (3)

sustainable development development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (3)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a set of 17 international development goals that follow on from the MDGs and have targets for 2030 (14)

sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) range of techniques to reduce the speed of surface run-off, encourage infiltration into the ground and reduce the risk of flooding (6)

sustainable water supply adequate water supplies, in both quality and quantity, to meet current and future needs of people and the environment (1)

toxic poisonous (1)

traditions behaviour that is learned from previous generations and passed on to the next generation (13)

transboundary crossing a border from one country to another (14)

transpiration plants take up liquid water and give off water vapour through pores in their leaves (4)

treaty international agreement that creates legal rights and duties (14)

turbidity cloudiness of water, a measure of water clarity (4)

urban heat island effect caused by heat energy radiated from hard surfaces in large cities that raises temperature relative to surrounding rural areas, especially at night (6)

urbanisation increase in the number of people living in towns and cities relative to rural areas (5)

urban planning designing towns and cities so they function effectively and meet the needs of people living in them (6)

vectors animals such as mosquitoes, flies, fleas, rats and dogs that transmit disease-causing agents from one host to another (11)

vulnerability susceptibility of individuals, a population or system to the effects of harm (12)

waste hierarchy waste management options listed in order of desirability as follows: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose (8)

waste optimisation reducing the quantity of waste produced by adopting the options in the waste hierarchy (8)

water cycle (also known as hydrological cycle) continuous circulation of water between oceans, atmosphere and land (4)

water pollution presence of excess physical, chemical or biological substances that degrade water quality and are capable of causing harm to living organisms (7)

water-scarce countries/regions with less than 1,000 m3 per person per year for all purposes (1)

water-stressed countries/regions with less than 1,700 m3 of water per person per year for all purposes (1)

water table top of the groundwater below the land surface (4)

water-washed diseases diseases that occur as a result of poor personal hygiene mainly due to water scarcity (11)

weather temperature, rainfall, wind, sunshine etc that we experience from hour to hour and day to day (9)

zoning creation of defined areas within a town designated for different activities (6)

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