Protesters at a demonstration in Barcelona to highlight the climate crisis. Getty Images
Protesters at a demonstration in Barcelona to highlight the climate crisis. Getty Images
Protesters at a demonstration in Barcelona to highlight the climate crisis. Getty Images
Protesters at a demonstration in Barcelona to highlight the climate crisis. Getty Images

Eco-anxiety, net zero and climate crisis enter 'Oxford English Dictionary' ahead of Cop26


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

The language of climate change has entered the Oxford English Dictionary, in recognition of the plethora of environmental terms which have become commonplace.

Eco-anxiety, net zero and climate catastrophe are among new terms included in a new edition.

Medics warned earlier this month that climate change worries were making children ill, hence the term eco-anxiety.

As leaders, negotiators and campaigners prepare to descend on Glasgow for crunch UN Cop26 talks, a special update of the authoritative dictionary has been launched, dedicated to exploring the language of climate change.

Other additions include climate justice, climate refugee and climate strike, in recognition of the youth protests led by Greta Thunberg. Getty Images
Other additions include climate justice, climate refugee and climate strike, in recognition of the youth protests led by Greta Thunberg. Getty Images

Other new words and phrases include CO2, a contraction of carbon dioxide, and global heating, which has been adopted by some people to replace global warming to talk about the long-term increase in temperatures.

New sub-entries in the dictionary include climate crisis, climate catastrophe and climate emergency, reflecting the greater urgency people are feeling about the issue. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II recently revealed her irritation at the lack of action tackling the climate crisis.

Climate denier, climate sceptic and climate denialism have joined the list of terms to describe the rejection of the idea or evidence that climate change caused by humans is occurring, or represents a significant threat.

In recognition of the growing fear many people have about climate change, eco-anxiety makes a first appearance in the dictionary to describe unease or apprehension about current and future harm to the environment.

Other additions include climate justice, climate refugee and climate strike, in recognition of the youth protests led by Greta Thunberg, as well as extreme weather, to describe weather that is very harsh, unseasonal or atypical for a region — especially when attributed to climate change.

Language is also changing as people discuss how to tackle the crisis, with net zero now used to describe balancing greenhouse gas emissions with removals, rain garden to absorb rainwater, and air source for a type of heat pump.

The uptake in electric vehicles is reflected in new entries for range anxiety and smart charging, and there are additions to windmill to refer to wind turbines, and tidal to reflect the potential to generate power from the tides.

The update comes after the OED, produced by Oxford Languages, part of Oxford University Press, started a project early in 2021 to broaden and review its coverage of vocabulary related to climate change and sustainability.

Lexicographers for OED have also traced existing climate-related words further back in time, tracking the term “climate change” back to a US magazine article in 1854.

In the 1980s, the world was talking about the greenhouse effect, but that was quickly overtaken by global warming, and then both were eclipsed by the use of climate change, which has seen sharp and steady growth over the past 40 years, the language experts said.

Now the language has become more urgent, with climate emergency, crisis and even catastrophe joining the lexicon, and seeing their use surge.

Although Ms Thunberg started her skolstrejk — school strike — in 2018, prompting a global movement, the term first appeared a few years earlier in 2014, in a proposed event organised by the activist organisation Popular Resistance.

Trish Stewart, science editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, said: “As world leaders come together to seek solutions to the climate change problem, it has been fascinating, if at times somewhat alarming, to delve deeper into the language we use, both now and in the past, to talk about climate and sustainability.

“The very real sense of urgency that is now upon us is reflected in our language.

“What happens next depends on so many factors but, one thing we can be sure of is that our language will continue to evolve and to tell the story.”

Abu Dhabi GP starting grid

1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)

5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)

8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)

9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)

10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)

11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)

12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)

13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

14 Sergio Perez (Force India)

15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)

16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)

17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)

18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)

19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)

20 Lance Stroll (Williams)

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:

Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')

Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

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The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
​​​​​​​Princeton

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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One in nine do not have enough to eat

Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.

One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.

The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.

Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.

It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.

On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.

Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.

 

Updated: October 21, 2021, 1:15 PM