P
Data and Resources
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Panacea
A solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases.
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Pandemic
The worldwide spread of a new disease. An influenza pandemic occurs when a...
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Parent material
It is the material from which the soil has presumably been derived.; The...
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Paris agreement
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate...
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Participatory approach
Securing an adequate and equal opportunity for people to place questions on...
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Particle-size composition
Proportions of various particle sizes in a solid fuel.; A presentation, in...
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Particulate matter (PM)
Tiny solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air.
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Particulate organic carbon
It is the physical portion of SOM smaller than 0.25 mm in size and bigger...
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Pastoralism
The husbandry of domestic animals as a primary means of obtaining resources.
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Pasture
Ground covered with grass or herbage, used or suitable for the grazing of...
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Pathogen
A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease; The...
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Pathogenicity
The absolute ability of an infectious agent to cause disease/damage in a...
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Payment for environmental services
An economic instrument designed to provide incentives to land users, on...
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Payment for environmental services/payment for...
Appropriate mechanisms for matching the demand for environmental services...
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Payment for watershed services
Schemes that use funds from water users (including governments) as an...
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Payments for ecosystem services
PES highlights a global continuum, illustrating the relationship between our...
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Peak oil
The point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is...
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Peat
A dark brown or black plant residue produced by the partial decomposition and...
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Peatland
Peatlands are a type of wetlands that occur in almost every country on Earth,...
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Pedal soil
Structured soils showing formation of peds.
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Pedogenetic carbonate
Alkaline earth carbonates, commonly calcium carbonate.
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Pedon
The smallest, three-dimensional unit at the surface of the earth that is...
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Pedotransfer function
A general term for any procedure used to estimate various soil properties,...
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals...
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Perched groundwaters
Unconfined groundwater separated from an underlying main body of groundwater...
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Perennial
Lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or...
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Perennial ice
Ice that survives the summer and the extent at summer minimum has been used...
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Peri-urban
(especially in Africa) denoting or located in an area immediately adjacent to...
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Peridomestic
Pertaining to living in and around human habitations. The rat is a...
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Permafrost
Soil, silt and rock located in perpetually cold areas, and that remains...
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Pernicious
Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
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Persistent organic pollutants
Chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through...
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Petajoule
It is a standard unit of energy. One petajoule equals 1 000 000 000 000 000...
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Petrocalcic horizon
A petrocalcic horizon (from Greek petros, rock, and Latin calx, lime) is an...
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Petroduric horizon
A petroduric horizon (from Greek petros, rock, and Latin durus, hard), also...
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Petrogypsic horizon
The petrogypsic horizon (from Greek petros, rock, and Latin gypsum) is a...
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Petroplinthic horizon
A petroplinthic horizon (from Greek petros, rock, and plinthos, brick) is a...
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Phenology
The study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to...
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Phosphorite
It is a rock with a high concentration of phosphates in nodular or compact...
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Photoconjuctivitis
Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye caused by exposure to UV.
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Photokeratitis
Painful eye condition that occurs when your eye is exposed to invisible rays...
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Photovoltaic
Capable of generatinga voltage as a result of exposure to visible or other...
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Phylogenetic analysis
Phylogeny is the relationship between all the organisms on Earth that have...
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Physical fertility
It relates to soil texture, structure, porosity, water retention capacity, etc.
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Physical water scarcity
It compares the amount of renewable water annually available per capita in a...
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Phytoaccumulation
The uptake of contaminants through plant roots and the translocation of the...
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Phytodegradation
The breakdown of contaminants taken up by plants by metabolic processes...
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Phytoplankton
Microscopically small plants that float or swim weakly in fresh or saltwater...
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Phytoremediation
The in situ use of plants to stabilise, remediate, reduce, or restore...
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Phytotechnology
Phytotechnology is the application of plants in scientific and engineering...
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Phytovolatilization
The uptake and transpiration of contaminant by a plant. This process results...
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Pisoplinthic horizon
A pisoplinthic horizon (from Latin pisum, pea, and Greek plinthos, brick)...
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Place-keeping
The long-term management and maintenance of high-quality spaces to ensure...
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Planetary boundaries
A framework designed to define a safe operating space for humanity for the...
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Planetary health
defined as “the achievement of the highest attainable standard of health,...
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Planting basin
A simple soil and water conservation technique for dryland agriculture, where...
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Plasticizers
a substance (typically a solvent) added to a synthetic resin to produce or...
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Plinthic horizon
A plinthic horizon (from Greek plinthos, brick) is a subsurface horizon that...
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Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection of one or both sides of...
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Podzolization
A process of soil formation resulting in the genesis of Podzols and Podzolic...
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Point source pollution
Pollution arising from an identified single point.; It refers to contaminants...
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Policy
Any form of intervention or societal response. This includes not only...
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Policy diffusion
The process of a policy being taken up, copied, implemented in other areas,...
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Policymaker
a member of a government department, legislature, or other organization who...
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Pollutant
Any substance that causes harm to the environment when it mixes with soil,...
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Pollution
The presence of minerals, chemicals or physical properties at levels that...
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Pollution control
Generic term that refers to all freshwater. Includes shared waters,...
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Pollution tax
The idea of environmental taxation can be translated as an attempt to alter...
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Pollution-intensive industry
Judging by emissions intensity (actual emissions per unit of output, rather...
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Polycentric
Having many centres, especially of authority or control.
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Polynya
Area of open water in pack ice or sea ice.
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Population critical concentration
Concentration of a substance in the critical organ at which a specified...
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Porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED)
A non-zoonotic viral disease of pigs caused by a coronavirus and...
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Porosity
It is an indication of the total volume of voids discernible with a ×10 hand-...
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Positional accuracy
An assessment of the accuracy of the positions of spatial objects.
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Poverty
The state of one who lacks a defined amount of material possessions or money....
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Practical gender need
Those needs that assist women and men in their current activities....
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Precautionary approach/principle
The precautionary approach or precautionary principle states that if an...
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Precision agriculture
It involves the observation, impact assessment and timely strategic response...
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Predicted environmental concentration
This is the estimated concentration of a chemical in an environmental...
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Prediction
The act of attempting to produce a description of the expected future, or the...
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Prediction uncertainty
It refers to the variability in prediction due to plausible alternative input...
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Preferential flow
Movement of water and solutes through large cracks or worm holes in the soil...
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Premature deaths
Deaths occurring earlier due to a risk factor than would occur in the absence...
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Pressure-state-response framework
A means for structuring indicators which facilitates interpretation and...
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Primary caretaker
In Family law, primary caretaker or primary caregiver refers to the parent...
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Primary energy
Energy embodied in natural resources (such as coal, crude oil, sunlight or...
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Prime-age adult
“prime age” as 15 to 45 years for women and 15 to 54 years for men.
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Private sector
The private sector is part of a country’s economy which consists of...
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Pro-poor growth
Various definitions have been proposed, including: growth that, relatively...
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Progress indicator
Measurement of economic welfare.
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Projection
The act of attempting to produce a description of the future subject to...
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Protected area
A clearly defined geographical space, recognized, dedicated and managed,...
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Protected landscape or seascape
Category V. Protected area managed mainly for landscape/seascape conservation...
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Protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse
As defined in the 2003 United Nations Secretary-General’s Bulletin on...
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Provisioning ecosystem services
These are the material benefits people get from ecosystems for e.g. supply of...
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Provisioning services
The products obtained from ecosystems, including, for example, genetic...
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Pterygium
Growth of the conjunctiva or mucous membrane that covers the white part of...
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Public sector
The portion of society that comprises the general government sector plus all...
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Public-private partnership
A contractual agreement between a public agency (federal, state or local) and...
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | https://wesr-staging.azurewebsites.net/glossary/ajax/ajax.searchbyindex.php?q=P |
| Author | UNEP GEO |
| Maintainer | UNEP GEO |
| Last Updated | January 26, 2023, 06:34 (UTC) |
| Created | September 13, 2022, 18:28 (UTC) |
| GUID | unep-geo-glossary-letter-p |
| Issued | 2022-08-31 15:20:44 |
| Language | en |
| Modified | 2022-11-09 17:41:18 |
| Publisher name | UNEP GEO |
| Theme | Glossary |
| data_type | webpage |
| spatial | Global |