Mitigation acts like plugging a leak in a boat – slowing or stopping the flow of greenhouse gases into Earth’s atmosphere by decreasing emissions sources or expanding sinks that capture them.
Mitigation strategies include transitioning to renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency and adopting regenerative agricultural practices, as well as strengthening communities’ resilience to climate change impacts.
1. Reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere
A key strategy to reduce climate change is decreasing atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases through either decreasing emissions or improving “sinks” that remove them from the atmosphere – these efforts are known as mitigation strategies.
Carbon dioxide levels are increasing primarily because we’re burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas – all containing carbon that plants removed from the air through photosynthesis over millions of years and later stored away within them – which then releases back into the air when burned again within just hundreds of years.
We must act quickly to reverse that trend, and one effective approach would be for forests and oceans to increase their natural capacity for carbon removal from the atmosphere. Unfortunately, this requires significant investments both in nature-based technologies like carbon capture and storage as well as modern techniques like carbon dioxide sequestration; currently there are only a handful of places in which this can be implemented at scale.
2. Reduce how much people consume
Transport, clothing and food consumption place enormous strain on our environment; making changes in how much we consume can make an important impactful statement about how important sustainability issues are to us all.
Reducing meat consumption is both healthier for you and helps lower climate change emissions, not to mention being kinder to animals that have been mistreated in order to become food. Furthermore, purchasing local, organic produce reduces transportation emissions while supporting environmentally-friendly farming. Reducing use of one-use containers and composting uneaten food are additional steps that can aid this effort.
Renewable energy investments and improving energy efficiency are vital to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Moving away from petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles in favour of electric ones, cutting back plane travel, and walking more all help as well. Many individuals have taken steps to reduce their environmental footprint by shopping second-hand or forgoing plastic altogether, or adopting sufficiency as a lifestyle, restricting their consumption to meet necessity only.
3. Reduce the amount of water we use
To combat climate change, we must reduce water usage. This means opting for renewable sources like solar, wind, hydro and geothermal power as well as using public transportation instead of driving cars and flying less when possible.
Sustainable agriculture and forest land management also play a vital role. Practices which minimize soil disturbance while increasing biodiversity, soil cover and root systems help improve water infiltration, cycle nutrients more effectively, decrease fertilizer usage and act as carbon sinks – all essential ingredients of successful land use management.
Put adaptive Integrated Water Resources Management at the core of climate change mitigation efforts helps communities prepare for current and future changes to water availability, which is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, food security concerns and ecosystem services.
4. Reduce the amount of waste we produce
Producing new products generates greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change at each stage of their production and use cycle – from extracting raw materials, manufacturing and transporting it for sale, through transport to its final destination and disposal in landfills. When producing such goods is completed, greenhouse gases (GHGs) are released into the atmosphere as GHGs, while methane released as waste decomposes.
Reducing emissions through waste-reduction strategies is an effective strategy to lower our carbon emissions. You can start by composting food and organic waste instead of tossing it away, or switching to renewable energies such as wind or solar to lower your home’s carbon footprint.
As humans, we tend to divide our efforts between mitigation and adaptation efforts, yet both must work in concert for any effective response to climate change. Just as you would take steps to repair a leak in a boat, mitigation seeks to halt greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming while adaptation works towards protecting people and communities against its adverse effects.