Going Green: Climate change words and their meanings

Lana Del Rey (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

I try and be environmentally friendly but get confused with terms like “green” and “net zero”. I want to be a better consumer when it comes to the planet so can anyone use these words or is there legislation attached to them?

You’re not alone when it comes to understanding the language of climate change and what different words and phrases mean.

There are a lot of terms brands and companies can use that can greenwash consumers into thinking they’re making climate pledges or cutting down their emissions when they might not be.

Greenwashing in itself is when brands mislead or misinform consumers into thinking they’ve got an environmentally friendly public image when they might be selling a very harmful product but use a tree logo or something similar to project a greener brand.

Many people don't understand the language of climate change. Photo: Adobe

Organisations like the Advertising Standards Authority and the Competitions and Markets Authority will clamp down on it, but there are no specific laws protecting environmental claims companies may make.

A study recently found the British public have a low level of understanding environmental language too.

The study, conducted by the insights company Trajectory and the communications agency Fleet Street found only a quarter of people questioned understood what the term ‘sustainable’ meant. It means making something in such a way that it has little impact on the environment.