N to P

NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution)

A country's climate plan under the Paris Agreement, updated every five years. India's latest NDC, for 2031-2035, was submitted to the UNFCCC in April 2026.

Net zero

A state in which the greenhouse gases put into the air are balanced by the greenhouse gases taken out by removals. For companies, standards such as the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard expect deep cuts first and allow removals only for the small amount that is left. India has announced a goal of net zero by 2070.

Offset

Using a carbon credit from outside your own operations to compensate for your own emissions. An offset does not erase your emissions; it pays for a reduction or removal somewhere else, and its value depends on the quality of that credit.

Paris Agreement and Article 6

The 2015 UN climate treaty that aims to keep warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C. Article 6 lets countries cooperate, including by transferring emission reductions between them, under agreed accounting rules.

PAT (Perform, Achieve and Trade)

An energy-efficiency scheme started in 2012 by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Large energy-using industries got targets, and those that did better could sell energy-saving certificates; India is moving these sectors to the CCTS.

Permanence

How long carbon stays stored. Carbon in a geological formation can stay put for thousands of years; carbon in a tree or soil can be released again by fire, felling or drought, so forestry credits need safeguards like buffer pools.

Product carbon footprint and LCA

A product carbon footprint is the total emissions over a product's life, from raw materials to disposal. It is calculated through a life cycle assessment (LCA), using standards such as ISO 14067 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard.