Words, words, words… we all hear so many environmental words every day, but do you know what they actually mean?

Can you tell your ‘global warming’ from your ‘greenhouse effect’? Or your ‘microbede’ from your ‘meteor’? Do you know the difference between ‘pollution’ and ‘pollutants’?

Here is your child friendly A-Z of common environmental terms and their meanings.

All of the words are featured within the Our World section of the It’s Our Planet Too website, so why not go and explore and find out a little bit more…

A

acid rain: A form of air pollution caused from harmful gases combining with water and oxygen in the air

atmosphere: A layer of gases that surround the Earth

axis: An imaginary line through the middle of the Earth from top to bottom

B

biodegradable: Material that can break down or rot naturally when attacked by bacteria

C

circumference: The distance around the middle (equator) of the Earth

climate: The usual weather condition in one area

D

diameter: The distance straight through the middle of the Earth

E

ecosystem: A community of living organisms (plants and animals) in a particular area

emissions: The production or discharge of something, this could be harmful

energy: How things move and change, it’s all around us and takes many forms

environment: The surroundings or area in which a person, animal or plant lives

equator: The imaginary line around the middle of the Earth

F

fossil fuels: A natural fuel, such as coal oil or gas

G

G7: An international organisation consisting of some of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in the world

generators: A machine for converting mechanical energy into electricity

global warming: An increase in the surface temperature of the Earth

gravity: A force of attraction that pulls together all matter

greenhouse effect: Warming of the earth's atmosphere caused by a build up of gases that trap the Sun’s heat

greenhouse gases: Gases that form an invisible blanket that trap the Sun’s heat

L

landfill: Disposal of rubbish by burying it in the land

K

kinetic energy: The energy that an object has because of its movement

M

meteor: A space rock falling to Earth

microbeads: A tiny sphere, or ball of plastic

Moon: A rock that orbits the Earth

N

non-renewable energy: Energy that comes from sources that will run out, such as fossil fuels

O

orbit: The path of one object as it travel around another

P

pollution: The introduction of a harmful substance into the environment

pollutants: A substance that makes something such as air or water impure and or unsafe

R

recycling: The process of taking materials ready to be thrown away and converting (changing) them into reusable materials

renewable energy: Energy from a source that is not depleted when it is used such as sunlight, wind or tides

S

solar system: All the planets and moons that go around the Sun, including Earth

Sun: The enormous ball of gas at the centre of our solar system

synthetic: Materials produced by humans from chemicals or artificial substances rather than from natural ones

T

tides: The twice daily rise and fall of the surface of the ocean

toxins: Poisonous or dangerous materials or substances

turbines: A machine for producing power that is turned by continuous current such as water, steam or air