Climate change mitigation entails eliminating heat-trapping greenhouse gases and improving carbon sinks that absorb them, as well as adapting our responses to climate impacts such as flooding defenses or planning for higher temperatures.
Reduce emissions through our energy use; for instance, switching to electric cars or making buildings more energy-efficient are among the many strategies that can reduce emissions. Protecting and restoring carbon-rich ecosystems while limiting waste are also effective solutions.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reducing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is one of the best ways to limit climate change impacts and limit future warming. You can do this by improving energy efficiency, switching to renewable sources like solar and switching on public transit systems – many of these steps also provide co-benefits such as improved air quality and health improvements.
Fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas contribute primarily to human emissions, with renewable energies, biofuels, and nuclear power helping significantly to decrease these gases and their environmental impacts.
Land-use decisions can also help mitigate climate change. By discouraging development in areas that are currently or projected to be vulnerable to its impacts, climate-related development can help ease strain on ecosystems that would otherwise be compromised by sea level rise and its associated floodwaters. Conserving open space in sensitive areas can help slow the flow of flood waters while protecting vulnerable ecosystems that might otherwise be under stress from sea level rise impacts. Finally, avoiding deforestation and restoring forests as part of rural economies is vital in providing clean air, food security, food security support as well as local economic bolstering.
Adapting to Changes
Adaptation to climate change reduces risks to individuals, communities and ecosystems alike. It involves planning and creating new infrastructure such as flood defenses or improved storm drain systems to manage increased flooding; improving agriculture practices to produce food with greater resilience against heat, drought and flood; protecting coastal areas against sea-level rise; managing forests for carbon storage and biodiversity preservation, as well as improving water cycles.
Climate mitigation actions often bring health co-benefits. For instance, switching to electric vehicles or cycling as an alternative mode of transport helps lower air pollution emissions while healthy eating and physical activity can improve diets and overall health.
Future global warming depends largely on society’s choices regarding how it uses energy and natural processes that remove or increase greenhouse gas concentrations from the atmosphere, known as sinks. More research needs to be conducted into ways of encouraging broad participation in voluntary mitigation efforts as well as how best to utilize regulatory and subsidy programs for maximum effect.
Reducing Emissions in the Near Future
Mitigation’s primary objective is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations and stop climate change. Energy production is the biggest source of human-caused greenhouse gases; thus most efforts at mitigating emissions focus on cutting fossil fuel usage or switching to cleaner alternatives like renewable energies; however, other forms of emissions, such as deforestation, waste management or methane removal from agricultural processes, can also be reduced through mitigation efforts.
At present, one of the primary concerns regarding global efforts to mitigate climate change is emissions are not falling fast enough. Achieve net-zero carbon dioxide levels within an acceptable timeline – within 2 degrees Celsius warming limit or less- will require rapid reductions from all countries involved.
Idealistically, countries should set net-zero targets that match their responsibilities and capacities, taking into account deep emissions reductions as well as equity considerations. Many nations have set dates when they hope to reach net zero emission status but their goals often depend on purchasing emissions reductions from other nations–an approach critics worry could undermine efforts to cut emissions themselves over the longer term.
Stabilizing Global Emissions
Climate change mitigation aims to limit human interference with Earth’s climate by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, such as by reducing emissions or strengthening natural “sinks” that capture and store carbon.
There are various strategies for lowering emissions, including using less energy, transitioning to renewable electricity sources and driving an electric car, or consuming fewer fossil fuels. Larger efforts may also be undertaken by nations, communities and regions, such as setting ambitious local energy efficiency targets or encouraging public transit services.
Science tells us that to protect a livable planet and prevent catastrophic warming, global temperatures must remain no higher than 1.5degC above pre-industrial levels. To do this, future emissions must be limited at very low levels while simultaneously eliminating or storing past emissions until we reach net zero, or close to it, in the atmosphere as quickly as possible. Achieve this will take considerable effort but we have the tools available to us that could enable this goal.