carbon budget

Meanings

1. The maximum cumulative amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions compatible with a given global-warming target (e.g., 1.5 °C), for a stated probability and from a stated baseline date.
2. An emissions cap or allocation set for a period (year, multi-year, etc.) for a country, organisation, sector, or project so as to follow a target trajectory.
3. A planning document detailing such caps and their trajectory (e.g., a university’s “2024–2028 carbon budget”).

Etymology

From carbon + budget; widely used in climate science (e.g., IPCC) for the cumulative amount of CO₂ compatible with a given warming limit.