Climate change mitigation refers to any action taken that reduce or avert greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, such as switching to renewable energy sources, cutting waste production and adopting regenerative agricultural practices.

Support businesses that use resources responsibly. Collectively, we can all make a difference by demanding change from our governments and businesses.

Local governments

Local governments are well suited to translating global climate commitments into action on the ground. From regional collaboration and carbon neutrality initiatives to building decarbonization projects and mitigating data center climate impacts, local governments have the capacity to take meaningful climate action at an effective and measurable scale.

Leadership in these areas can set an example for citizens, businesses and institutions alike to follow suit in taking their own actions. For instance, city leaders that prioritize using repurposed organic waste for creating nutrient-rich soil set a great example to all.

Local government leaders can also assist with the deployment of clean energy technologies by working with utilities to increase renewable energy capacity and facilitate storage solutions for intermittent resources, as well as advocate for transparency and metrics to assist communities understand their exposure to physical climate risks; for instance, by encouraging insurers to provide information regarding how climate risk influences premiums, deductibles, and credit ratings.

Tribal governments

Tribal governments play an integral role in mitigating climate change impacts. They can lead initiatives to lower greenhouse gas emissions while supporting local communities and stakeholders in their regions. Furthermore, tribal governments can help ensure projects and policies incorporate Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge while respecting confidentiality and ownership issues associated with it.

Due to their significant impacts on ecosystem health and biodiversity, tribal government adaptation efforts to climate change are rarely taken into account in academic or policy discussions on ecological adaptation. Existing analyses from both federal government entities and academia do not adequately explore how climate change might alter governance goals and processes on tribal lands, particularly those related to biodiversity conservation or ecological health promotion.

The STACC report illustrates that, when approached in an appropriate and humble manner, opportunities for collaboration with tribes to support regional climate resilience efforts can be abundant. Local governments could collaborate with tribes whose traditional lands overlap to jointly protect access to clean drinking water supplies, improve energy efficiency and decrease climate pollution levels.

The private sector

The private sector can assist climate resilience efforts by investing in low-carbon technologies and supporting environmental justice (EJ). They may also invest in projects that mitigate climate change mitigation while contributing to global clean energy goals such as renewable energy development or grid interconnection.

Businesses have also taken strides toward climate finance by developing initiatives dedicated to forest conservation and regenerative agriculture as ways of meeting net-zero emissions targets. Such efforts help reduce carbon footprints while simultaneously improving air quality, food and water security and rural economies.

Climate Asset Management, for example, has recently formed a partnership between Apple and private capital investors to invest in high-quality nature-based carbon removal projects. This initiative expands on an earlier effort which allowed Apple to invest up to $200 million in projects which promote sustainable farming practices or preserve or restore key ecosystems that sequester carbon.

Everyone has a role to play

Each person can contribute to climate change mitigation by using renewable energy sources, using air purifiers effectively, supporting sustainable transportation options, and selecting low-carbon food products. They can also mitigate climate risks by learning how climate changes impact them directly, notifying their elected leaders of their support for climate-sensitive policies, and advocating for smart adaptation strategies.

Not only can mitigation efforts reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they can also lower air pollutants that damage human health and natural ecosystems – these co-benefits, known as ancillary benefits, offer governments additional motivation to expedite their mitigation efforts.

Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees requires significant reductions in GHGs and transition from fossil fuels to clean sources of energy, but this alone won’t keep pace with projected climate impacts, so immediate action on adaptation must also be taken as soon as possible – sooner we act, the greater chance we have of avoiding irreparable damage while simultaneously increasing resilience – this underscores why it is imperative to take both climate mitigation and adaptation into account when making development decisions.