Mitigation v Adaptation

• What is mitigation?

  • Action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life + property from natural hazards.
  • Addresses the root causes of climate change
• Example of mitigation

  • Carbon storage
  • Making international agreements about carbon reduction targets
  • Alternative energy
• Mitigation : Alternative energy

  • Use of renewable resources of energy : tidal, solar, hydroelectric and wind power do not emit large amounts of carbon dioxide.
  • Renewable + last in the future
  • E.g nuclear gas, which little to no release of carbon dioxide.
• Mitigation : Planting trees (Afforestation)

  • Also release moisture into the air.
  • Produces more cloud.
  • Reduces incoming solar radiation.
  • Act as carbon sinks, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
• Mitigation : International Agreements

  • The UN negotiated a new international climate change agreement for all countries at the 2015 Paris climate conference.
• Low-level mitigation schemes

  1. Increasing recycling
  2. Public transport
  3. Buying local food
• Adaptation

  • Actions taken to adjust to natural events e.g climate change,
  • To reduce potential damage
  • Limit the impacts
  • Take advantage of opportunities
  • Cope with the consequences.
• Adaptation : Adjusting to rising sea levels

  • Areas at risk from sea level rise may use sea defences / sea walls to protect the land from being eroded away.
  • Houses built on stilts may help to protect properties in vulnerable areas
• Adaptation : Agriculture (Farmers)

  1. Farmers will have to adapt as some crops may not be able to grow in a warmer or drier climate.
  2. Drought-resistant crops can be grown when there is low rainfall.
• Carbon capture

  • Uses technology to capture CO2 produced from the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and industrial processes and safely storing it.
  • Can capture up to 90% that would otherwise enter the atmosphere.
  • Very expensive, hard to maintain.
• Mitigation strategies

  1. Planting trees
  2. Alternative Energy
  3. International Agreements
  4. Carbon capture
• Adaptation tactics

  • Agriculture
  • Adjusting to rising sea levels