Glossary
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1.5 degrees C target | The goal under the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, which would greatly reduce climate risks compared with 2 degrees C. Climate Change |
| A posteriori | A posteriori is a Latin phrase meaning "from what comes after." In philosophy and logic, it refers to knowledge or arguments that rely on empirical evidence, observation, or sensory experience. It is the opposite of a priori (which means "from what comes before" and refers to knowledge known independently of experience, like math or definitions). A posteriori claims can be verified, modified, or disproven by gathering new data or conducting experiments. Science General |
| A priori | In Latin a priori means "what comes first". A priori understandings are the assumptions that come before the rest of the assessment, argument, or analysis. In general terms, a proposition is knowable a priori if it is knowable independently of experience. Science General |
| A2A | A2A is an open agent-to-agent protocol (pioneered by Google) that enables independent AI agents to exchange messages and delegate tasks so they can collaborate seamlessly. Artificial Intelligence |
| Abduction | A form of inference, forming the most plausible or "best guess" explanation for a set of observations. Science General |
| Abductive reasoning | Reasoning to the most likely explanation for a set of observations, sometimes called inference to the best explanation. Science General |
| Abrupt climate change | A large shift in the climate system that happens over years to decades rather than centuries, often because a threshold has been crossed. Examples from Earth's past include rapid warming events recorded in Greenland ice cores. Climate Change |
| Absolute risk | The actual probability of an outcome in a group over a given period, such as 2 in 1,000. Science General |
| Absolute zero | The lowest possible temperature, 0 kelvin or minus 273.15 degrees C, at which particles have minimum energy. Science General |
| Acceleration | The rate at which velocity changes over time. Science General |