topic-glossary-writer — independently scanned and version-tracked by SaferSkills.
SaferSkills independently audited topic-glossary-writer (Agent Skill) and scored it 100/100 (green). The audit ran 55 deterministic rules across Security, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Transparency, and Community; it found 0 high-severity and 0 lower-severity findings. The full rule-by-rule trace and per-finding evidence are below. Free, methodology-open.
Findings & checks · 0 flagged
Every scanned point with the score it earned and what moved between them.
First recorded scan — no prior version to compare against.
The primary manifest — the file an agent reads to learn what this artifact does.
Produces a plain-language glossary of essential terms for a complex or specialist topic, written so that a journalist, presenter, or producer with no prior expertise can understand and use the terms correctly before entering an interview or writing a script.
Required: The topic or subject area, and the intended audience for the glossary (e.g. journalist preparing for an interview, TV presenter, general reader, production team). Optional: The specific story angle or editorial focus, any terms you already know are relevant, the format of the final content (broadcast, print, online), and any terms you want defined even if they seem basic.
A headed glossary of 10–25 terms. Each entry: the term in bold, a plain-language definition of 2–4 sentences, and (where relevant) a "Watch out" note flagging common misuse or confusion. Ends with a short list of 3–5 terms the journalist should avoid using unless they are certain of the meaning. Format is clean prose, not a table — readable on screen or printed as a briefing document.
Topic: Carbon markets and carbon offsetting. Audience: A journalist preparing to interview a climate policy economist for the first time. Story angle: Whether voluntary carbon markets are delivering real emissions reductions or functioning as a way for companies to avoid cutting their own emissions.
Glossary: Carbon Markets and Carbon Offsetting Prepared for journalist briefing — interview preparation
Carbon emissions The release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, primarily through burning fossil fuels, industrial processes, and deforestation. In reporting, "carbon" is often used as shorthand for all greenhouse gases, measured in CO₂-equivalent units. This is standard practice but worth confirming when precision matters.
Carbon market A trading system in which organisations buy and sell the right to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gas, or purchase credits representing emissions reductions made elsewhere. There are two main types: compliance markets (mandatory, regulated by governments) and voluntary markets (optional, used by companies making climate pledges). Your story focuses on the voluntary market — keep the distinction clear.
Carbon offset / carbon credit A carbon offset (also called a carbon credit) represents one tonne of CO₂ that has theoretically been prevented from entering the atmosphere or removed from it. Companies purchase offsets to "cancel out" their own emissions. One credit = one tonne reduced or removed, in theory. Watch out: The terms "offset" and "credit" are used interchangeably in practice, but some technical sources treat them differently. Ask your interviewee which term they use and follow their usage.
Additionality The principle that a carbon offset project must represent emissions reductions that would not have happened without the funding from carbon credit sales. If a forest would have been protected anyway, credits from that forest are not "additional" — they represent no real-world benefit. Watch out: This is the central credibility question in carbon markets. Many disputed offset projects fail the additionality test. It is worth asking your interviewee directly how additionality is verified.
Permanence Whether an emissions reduction or carbon removal will last. A forest that absorbs carbon but is later cut down or burns in a wildfire is not permanent. Permanence is a major challenge for nature-based offset projects.
Leakage When protecting one area of forest causes deforestation to shift to a neighbouring unprotected area. The protected forest earns credits, but net emissions don't fall. A common and underreported problem in offset project assessments.
Verification / validation The process by which an independent third party checks that an offset project is real, measurable, and additional. Standards bodies such as Verra and Gold Standard accredit verifiers and certify projects. Verification does not guarantee quality — it means the project met the standard's criteria, which are themselves disputed.
Net zero A state in which an organisation's total greenhouse gas emissions are balanced by an equivalent amount of removal or reduction elsewhere. Many corporate "net zero" commitments rely heavily on purchased offsets rather than internal emissions cuts — this is the core tension in your story. Watch out: "Net zero" and "carbon neutral" are often used as synonyms but have different technical meanings. "Carbon neutral" typically refers to CO₂ only; "net zero" covers all greenhouse gases. Ask which one your interviewee means.
Carbon neutral A claim that an organisation's carbon dioxide emissions are fully offset by reductions or removals elsewhere. Does not necessarily cover other greenhouse gases such as methane or nitrous oxide.
Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions A classification system for where a company's emissions originate. Scope 1: direct emissions from operations the company owns. Scope 2: emissions from purchased energy. Scope 3: all other indirect emissions, including those from suppliers and customers — typically the largest category and the hardest to reduce. Many companies set net-zero targets that exclude Scope 3.
Greenwashing The practice of making misleading claims about environmental credentials. In the context of carbon markets, it most often refers to companies claiming to be "carbon neutral" or "net zero" through offset purchases while making little effort to reduce their own emissions.
Terms to avoid unless certain of the meaning:
~30 seconds. Free. No account. Every finding cites a rule and a line of evidence.