12 Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies

Climate change continues to dominate global conversations. The significance of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies has emerged from these discussions. These large-scale solutions, endorsed by many, aim to address the two-fold task of adjusting to our transforming climate while hindering further warming. 

This article looks at promising strategies to halt global warming and cushion its detrimental impacts.

Quick links to the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies:

The Climate Problem

Global warming results from excess heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant GHG and, therefore, is considered the primary driver of rising atmospheric temperatures. GHG emissions are also called carbon emissions.

The daily level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in human history in 2013⁶. Despite valiant efforts made so far, the amount of daily carbon dioxide is hovering over 420 ppm.

The changing climate has far-reaching consequences for human society. Unfortunately, the consequences are not fairly distributed. Although developed countries are the major contributors to climate change, the effects are felt more in developing countries. 

Climate change impacts our environment, economy, physical well-being, and the fabric of society. The rise in sea level increases flooding incidents in coastal communities. Extreme weather events like hurricanes, forest fires, floods, heat waves, and tropical storms are lasting longer and happening more frequently.

Climate change can also affect air quality by increasing ground-level ozone. Agriculture depends on stable climate conditions; therefore, unprecedented droughts, floods, heatwaves, etc., can result in food insecurity. Furthermore, climate change can influence health-determining factors and gravely endanger human health.

Proposed Solution 

The consensus of the scientific community is that we must limit warming² to 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2030. However, even if all human-caused carbon emissions stopped right now, it would take decades to undo all the climate changes already in motion. Up to 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change issues⁴¹. That's why we need to find ways to adapt to minimize the damage.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation go hand in hand and should be done simultaneously. That's the only way to reduce emissions while protecting our civilization until global temperatures return to pre-industrial levels. 

What is Climate Change Adaptation?

This simply means adjusting our behaviors, social systems, and economy to accommodate the changes we are already experiencing, as well as the changes we expect in the following decades. We call this ‘building climate resilience’. 

The goal is to provide a buffer for climate change's adverse effects while exploiting potential benefits. For example, the warming temperatures have resulted in drought and food scarcity in some regions but have caused longer growing seasons in others. A good adaptation strategy would be for each region to adjust the kind of crops they plant.

Climate change adaptation can help secure livelihood, maintain social stability, and promote sustainable economic development. Failing to adapt quickly and efficiently would put humans at the mercy of climate variability. Adaptation may present significant upfront costs³, but it is profitable in the long run. For every $1 invested, a yield of up to $10 in economic benefits could be realized.

8 Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

Adaptation responses vary from place to place and depend on the exact challenges of the environment. Local governments are usually responsible for formulating and executing adaptation plans because the climate change effect is more obvious in local communities.

Reinforcing infrastructure

How exactly one might reinforce infrastructure depends on climate changes expected to occur in a particular region. 

Advanced drainage and wastewater management systems should be installed in areas at high risk of floods. Due to the probability of more frequent extreme weather events, local authorities should also build emergency bunkers accessible to the public. 

Buildings that are likely to experience heatwaves should have better natural ventilation systems. That keeps people safe from heat-induced health problems without compromising on energy efficiency.

Adapting the transportation system involves reducing congestion and travel time while increasing walkable or cyclable distances. Hours-long traffic jams put more people in danger in climate-induced emergencies.

Biodiversity defense

Biodiversity is essential for human survival. It's why we have a variety of foods and many natural resources. Unfortunately, climate change threatens biodiversity.

As a matter of urgent priority, the critical habitats of vulnerable species must be protected. One way to do that is to expand conservation areas. Another strategy is to strengthen legal protections for endangered species.

With the sea level rise, coastal wetlands are at risk of being submerged by seawater. Restoring coral reefs and mangroves is a way to adapt. Building living sea walls can also resolve coastal erosion. Moving coastal communities farther inland would also help relieve pressure on coastal ecosystems.

Related Read: Biodiversity Threats We Should Fight Against.

Water management

Protecting water resources is a critical aspect of adapting to climate change. Even if a region is not in danger of drought, climate change could still affect the water quality. Flooding can cause damage to sanitation infrastructure, which allows feces to contaminate water sources.

One way to improve water consumption is to encourage water recycling and reuse. It conserves water resources and helps prepare people for any sudden shortage of water supply. Wastewater can be used for irrigation or industrial processes.

We also need to improve water storage and collection methods. Better methods could mitigate water scarcity and help keep drinking water clean and safe for consumption.

Related Read: Why Is Water Conservation Important?

Renewable energy 

Renewable energy is one of the most talked-about climate solutions. It involves harnessing energy from sources other than fossil fuels, such as wind, solar, biomass, hydro, tidal energy, etc.

Embracing the various types of renewable energy has many benefits for climate adaptation. Although it starts out pricey, it can lower long-term energy costs, which is particularly great for low-income communities.

Also, extreme weather events can destabilize the energy supply grid. Most renewable energy options are off-grid and would keep essential services going. 

Protecting public health

Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to kill an estimated 250,000 people each year. The causes of death would most likely be malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria, and heat stress, typical urban stressors.

The urban population is predicted to hold⁵ 68% of the world's population by 2050. However, migration from rural areas with low climate resilience might cause urban population growth to overshoot predictions. 

Urban planning, health care, and emergency response systems must adapt to climate-induced crises. Emphasis should be on sanitation, clean water, and affordable nutrition.

Land management 

We cannot adapt to climate change without changing how we use land. Land acquisition so far has been based solely on enriching a few pockets. That results in over-exploitation of natural resources, and many people, especially marginalized communities and indigenous people, get victimized in the process.

As climate change begins to impact the availability of natural resources and the viability of land, conflicts may arise. Strong institutions and robust policies are needed to reduce the risk of conflicts.

We need land for conservation, relocating people, shelters, and other purposes. We must also learn how to share the land more harmoniously with nature and other people.

Food security 

Food security is a critical concern whenever the dangers of climate change are discussed. That's because our food production system is entirely based on it. What plants and animals survive where is all a function of the climate.

To adapt we can consider changing the kinds of crops that would normally be planted in a particular region to something the change would better benefit. There's also the option of bioengineering new crop varieties that are more adapted to the changes in CO2, temperature, and water availability. 

Another option is expanding agricultural markets to facilitate less cumbersome and expensive food exportation. That way, different regions can support each other to offset the scarcity of specific foods.

Providing financial safety nets for farmers in case of irredeemable harvests could also help. However, some fear it might demotivate farmers from working as hard as they could.

Behavioral adaptation 

Our behavior as a society determines how easy or difficult it would be to manage climate change risks fully. We should adopt a more proactive attitude rather than treating climate adaptation as an afterthought.

Social institution stakeholders should consider climate risk adaptation in their development plans and conduct regular assessments to identify potential adaptation responses to climate change.

A society that adapts its systems to lessen the impact of climate change would protect vulnerable and low-income communities. Typically, those people are left behind in policy and infrastructure development.

What is Climate Change Mitigation?

Mitigation efforts aim to reduce and eventually prevent the emission of greenhouse gases. Mitigation measures focus on reducing the source of carbon emissions (use of fossil fuels) as well as increasing the capacity of carbon sinks.

The Kyoto Protocol commits industrialized economies to reducing the amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases they produce. Initiatives like that are great, but they are not as effective as expected. 

Nations like the U.S., Canada, and Russia have yet to agree on emissions targets. Developing economies are not even bound by the Protocol. That's because climate mitigation is quite complex, with many unknowns and trade-offs.

Mitigation is easy to explain but difficult to accomplish. It calls for drastic system changes and could disrupt whole industries. Moreover, the deadline to achieve net-zero emissions is in 2050, less than three decades away.

4 Climate Change Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate the climate crisis, the world needs well-thought-out strategies that cut across multiple sectors. Cross-sectoral measures are more cost-effective and well-rounded than an isolated focus on a specific industry. That's the best way to manage mitigation trade-offs for now.  

Regulatory approaches 

Mitigation policies aim to minimize the release of greenhouse gas emissions using legal authority. Many policies exist for different sectors of the economy. For example, the USA signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to make homes in low-income communities more energy efficient.

Another example is the renewable portfolio standard (RPS). This policy mandates electricity providers to produce a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources. Each State can determine the minimum amount based on resources available.

One challenge for the policy approach is how to make mitigation more appealing compared to the status quo. The private sector hesitates to invest in low-carbon technologies for high upfront costs, lower capacity, etc. Also, there are concerns that companies may flee to countries with less mitigation policies to gain a competitive edge.

There's a need for cohesion when it comes to adopting climate policies. It would ensure that no country or State loses out on economic growth while combating climate change for the greater good.

Carbon pricing

Reducing emissions from burning fossil fuels requires much prodding. Why? Fossil fuels are a much cheaper source of energy compared to green options. In most cases, the government tries to subsidize the cost of renewable energy to give it some competitive advantage against fossil fuels. 

However, renewable energy subsidies can only do so much if petroleum remains dirt cheap. Carbon pricing, which comes in two categories: carbon tax and carbon trading, is introduced to make it less economically appealing to use fossil fuels.

Carbon tax is a direct tax on coal, oil products, natural gas, etc. The tax is passed on from supplier to consumer, which results in higher prices for fossil-based energy products and services. The goal is to use the price hike to steer consumers toward clean energy alternatives.

The carbon trading system puts a unit price on carbon emissions. It allows companies to pay for the greenhouse gases they emit by purchasing carbon offsets generated by mitigation projects. By reducing their emissions, companies can reduce the amount they spend on offsets.

Renewable energy 

Transitioning completely to renewable clean energy for electricity, heat, transport, and manufacturing would help reduce emissions significantly. However, the world would have to do that systematically, and it won't happen overnight.

For now, the best strategy for reducing emissions from the energy sector is to reduce the carbon intensity of energy generation. This involves supplementing fossil fuels with renewables, such as hybrid cars that use gas and solar energy or households that use solar power for a few hours daily.

Clean energy is a critical component of sustainable development. However, there are valid concerns about how it might eventually affect natural resources in the cases of biomass energy and hydroelectricity. Finding solutions for those concerns is a much better direction for the planet than being resigned to fossil fuels.

How a person goes about meeting their energy demand is strongly influenced by costs. That's why renewable energy financing continues to be essential, especially for low-income communities.

Related Read: Challenges For Renewable Energy Preventing Adoption.

Leveraging carbon sinks 

Carbon sinks refer to the soil, rocks, oceans, and trees. They draw in and store heat-trapping greenhouse gases that would otherwise heat the atmosphere. Artificial carbon capture technologies also exist, but they are expensive and incapable of large-scale sequestration.

Unfortunately, many human activities are weakening the capacity of carbon sinks. Oceans absorb up to 24% of the world's GHG emissions, but pollution is impeding that ability. Chemicals from agriculture and other industries are degrading the soil. Many industries cut down trees without replanting, and most tree products like tissues and paper end up in landfills after a single use.

Although carbon sinks are renewable resources, they will only be helpful if we conserve them. We need to enhance and protect natural carbon sinks to mitigate climate change. 

Deforestation needs to stop, but that doesn't mean we can no longer use forest resources; it just means we use them more sustainably. For example, loggers should plant more trees than they cut down, and we should recycle forest products to avoid cutting down more trees than necessary. We should also clean up plastic pollution and push back on soil pollution.

Top 3 Challenges of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Mitigating and adapting to climate change are great ideas. However, they are not easy ideas. The challenges to successfully absorbing the impact of climate change with minimal damage while working to bring down global temperatures permanently are enormous.

Finance 

The most obvious challenge is finances. Climate adaptation and mitigation projects can be quite expensive, and funding is difficult to obtain even in prosperous countries. 

Raising such funds is even more difficult in developing economies. These countries are already suffering from climate issues, which raises the risk premium when they borrow from global financial markets. Lack of funds and high borrowing costs make mitigation and adaptation measures less achievable.

Social behavior 

Another challenge is changing societal behaviors that stand against climate change efforts. Shopaholics, food waste, careless energy use, and a throwaway attitude are some unsustainable habits accepted as normal or even luxurious. 

Every citizen of the world's willingness to pursue sustainable behaviors is an important factor in successful climate adaptation and mitigation.

Information gap

Lack of knowledge and spreading misinformation about climate change are also difficult issues. In some circles, climate change is a hoax, and in others, the changing climate is a lost cause, thus causing panic.

Many people do not have access to or understand the facts of climate change. As such, they do not prepare for any kind of climate risks. Climate change education is important now more than ever to fix the information deficit and undo the damages of false narratives.

Conclusion 

Climate change mitigation and adaptation measures are equally important if we must avoid negative climate impacts and preserve the planet for future generations.

Many of the decisions regarding large-scale climate actions are in the hands of government authorities and international organizations. However, you can help mitigate climate change by reducing your daily emissions.

Agencies worldwide constantly monitor climate change efforts and collect data to determine whether we are progressing. For further reading, check out this review by MIT.