(TIME: 9th.April.2007)
Mitigation
The first line of attack in battling global warming, mitigation is the business of preventing excess carbon dioxide from being released. Wind, solar and nuclear energy are mitigation strategies for generating power. Biofuels and hybrids are mitigators for cars and trucks.
Adaptation
Warming will get worse before it gets better, and for now we need to adapt to survive. Floodplains and coastal cities are especially vulnerable, so better levees coastal defense are part of the adaptive strategy. Some low-lying areas may have to be abandoned altogether.
Greenwashing
The practice of making environmental promises favoring hype over substance, a disparaging term usually applied to corporations such as automakers that tout new hybrids but still peddle gas-guzzling suvs and lobby against increased-mileage requirements.
Carbon neutral
Describes an entity that releases the same amount of CO2 that it absorbs, hence producing a carbon footprint of zero. An ideal state that some green-minded individuals, colleges and corporations are striving to achieve through purchasing offsets, that is, investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects.