Climate change mitigation entails both reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and strengthening our ability to adapt to climate impacts, while shifting toward a cleaner, more sustainable economy.
Reducing long-lived greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and short-lived climate pollutants like methane and tropospheric ozone while increasing natural sinks is central to sustainable development, and reaps many co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation and improved water cycles.
Reducing our overall consumption
Mitigation seeks to lower global average temperatures by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and increasing capacity of sinks such as forests to absorb them. Making lifestyle changes that reduce carbon emissions is also key in meeting short and medium term mitigation goals.
Carbon-exceeding households represent the greatest potential for greenhouse gas reduction. By changing consumption habits in these affluent nations, expenditure-focused mitigation measures could cut emissions by an average of 28%.
However, the overall effectiveness of such mitigation measures is severely undermined by their ineffectiveness in offsetting other impacts of saving carbon. Working from home increases energy use, thus offsetting any carbon saved through reduced travel. Likewise, switching to organic food incurs higher production and transportation costs; swapping clothes rather than purchasing new ones yields only modest results; thus emphasizing the necessity of designing lifestyle measures with full life-cycle consideration in mind.
Keeping fossil fuels in the ground
Climate change requires not just regulating smokestacks and tailpipes, but also cutting fossil fuel production entirely. This includes stopping new exploration and drilling on public land, restricting exports of fossil fuels and ending subsidies that encourage them.
In the AR6 report, it is noted that for global warming to remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius, most untapped oil and coal reserves must remain underground. According to recent research published in Nature, this would require fossil fuel extraction rates to peak almost immediately and then decrease by around three percent per year until 2050.
Policy interventions that promote mitigation efforts include carbon pricing systems that tax carbon emissions or trade emission credits, energy efficiency improvements, the conservation of land-based ecosystems that act as natural carbon sinks, methane emission reduction in agriculture and other sectors and more. Such measures are especially crucial for developing countries who face greater climate risks that require swift support for transitioning to low-carbon economies.
Investing in renewable energy
Many individuals are becoming interested in renewable energy as an effective way of helping the environment. Opting for renewable sources instead of fossil fuels will reduce greenhouse gas production that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming; however, switching requires significant investments that may have negative repercussions for our economy.
Switching to renewables will not only lower CO2 emissions but can also mitigate other forms of climate change, including transportation and home heating emissions. By electrifying these industries, renewables could greatly decrease emissions from transportation and heating – all contributing to climate change!
Investment in renewable energy resources will foster innovation and promote economic development. For developing economies, such investments may create jobs and income generation for local landowners who receive lease payments, royalties or property taxes from energy project developers. Furthermore, this will increase access to clean energy solutions which is critical for combatting climate change and realizing sustainable development goals.
Switching to sustainable transport
Climate change cannot be stopped entirely, but by cutting our consumption and switching to sustainable transportation methods we can alleviate some strain on the planet. This includes cutting unnecessary air travel, using electric cars instead of gasoline-powered ones and investing in more bike lanes.
As part of the solution to climate change, sustainable transport aims to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, environmental impacts, energy costs and improve safety and accessibility – while providing equitable access to mobility options and supporting urban development and climate resilience.
As the importance of transitioning to sustainable transport becomes ever clearer, countries around the world are incorporating it into their Nationally Determined Contributions and Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies as part of their efforts to meet goals set out in Paris Agreement. More specifically, plans include safeguards designed to limit environmental and social impacts from critical mineral extraction as well as foster more environmentally friendly shipping and aviation systems – measures which ensure the transition is driven by society rather than corporate interests.