system, invalidating predictions based on mathematical relationships that apply at lower levels.
Tipping Point
The critical point in an evolving situation that leads to a new and sometimes irreversible development.
Top-down Used to refer to a situation in which decisions are made by a few people in authority rather than by the people who are affected by the decisions.
Transformation
State of being transformed. In the context of GEO-5, transformation refers to a series of actions that explores opportunities to stop doing the things that pull the Earth System in the wrong direction and at the same time provide resources, capacity and an enabling environment for all that is consistent with the sustainable-world vision.
Transformational change The process whereby positive development results are achieved and sustained over time by institutionalizing policies, programmes and projects within national strategies. It should be noted that this embodies the concept of institutionally sustained results – consistency of achievement over time. This is in order to exclude short- term, transitory impact.
Transitions Non-linear, systematic and fundamental changes of the composition and functioning of a societal system with changes in structures, cultures and practices.
Trillion 1012
(1,000,000,000,000).
Uncertainty A cognitive state of incomplete knowledge that can result from a lack of information or from disagreement about what is known or even knowable. It may have many types of sources, from imprecision in the data to ambiguously defined concepts or terminology, or uncertain projections of human behaviour. Uncertainty can therefore be represented by quantitative measures (for example a probability density function) or by qualitative statements (for example reflecting the judgement of a team of experts).
Urban agriculture It consists of small areas within cities, such as vacant lots, verges, shipping containers and balconies, that are used for growing crops and raising small livestock or milk cows for own consumption or sale in neighbourhood markets.
Urban forest A description of towns and cities which are the source of wastepaper as one of the raw materials used for paper making.
Urban heat island An area within an urban area characterized by ambient temperatures higher than those of the surrounding area
because of the absorption of solar energy by materials like asphalt.
Urban metabolism A model to facilitate the description and analysis of the flows of the materials and energy within cities, such as undertaken in a material flow analysis of a city. It provides researchers with a metaphorical framework to study the interactions of natural and human systems in specific regions.
Urban sprawl
The decentralization of the urban core through the unlimited outward extension of dispersed development beyond the urban fringe, where low density residential and commercial development exacerbates fragmentation of powers over land use.
Urbanism An integration of urban and rural development in terms of sustainable resource use and the convergence of human well-being.
Urbanization An increase in the proportion of the population living in urban areas.
Vector An organism or vehicle that transmits the causative agent or disease-causing organism from the reservoir to the host. Often thought of as a biting insect or tick but can be an animal or inanimate object. Many living vectors are bloodsucking insects and ticks, which ingest disease producing microorganisms during a blood meal from an infected host (human or animal).
Virus An infectious agent of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants or bacteria. The name is from a Latin word meaning “slimy liquid” or “poison.”
Vulnerability An intrinsic feature of people at risk. It is a function of exposure, sensitivity to impacts of the specific unit exposed (such as a watershed, island, household, village, city or country), and the ability or inability to cope or adapt. It is multi-dimensional, multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral and dynamic. The exposure is to hazards such as drought, conflict or extreme price fluctuations, and also to underlying socio-economic, institutional and environmental conditions.
Wastewater treatment Any of the mechanical, biological or chemical processes used to modify the quality of wastewater in order to reduce pollution levels.
Water footprint
The water footprint of a person, company or nation is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the commodities, goods and services consumed by the person, company or nation.; The total volume of
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