ClimateAugust 21, 2026

externalities

ek-STUR-nuh-leez

Definition

Economic effects or costs of a transaction that are felt by third parties or the environment rather than by the entities involved in the production or consumption of a product.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'externus' meaning 'outward' or 'on the outside.' In economics, it refers to consequences that fall outside the immediate scope of the market transaction.

In the news

The article warns that a digitally optimized city can still ignore the environmental harm caused by its operations by treating natural ecosystems and vulnerable groups as externalities.

Can AI lead us from industrial to ecological intelligence?

Read the full article ↗

University World News

Related words

agronomist

An expert in the science of soil management and crop production.

Climate

apiaries

Places where honeybees are kept, typically a collection of beehives.

Climate

cloudbursts

A sudden, extremely heavy rainfall that occurs over a short period of time.

Climate

extractive

Relating to or characterized by the practice of removing or harvesting natural…

Climate

inundating

To overwhelm or cover with a large amount of water, typically resulting in flooding.

Climate

probabilistic

Relating to or based on the theory of probability; representing events as a range of…

Climate

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.