Climate change mitigation refers to any action taken that lower or eliminate greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as renewable energy use, increasing energy efficiency and conserving forests and other ecosystems.
Investments that reduce emissions also provide health co-benefits by lowering harmful pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter emissions. Examples include using less electricity, purchasing secondhand items or repairing broken ones instead of replacing them altogether.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy comes from naturally replenished resources like sun and wind; when burned for electricity generation or other uses, renewable sources produce significantly fewer greenhouse gases than their fossil counterparts like coal, oil and gas.
UNDP assists countries to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by creating and implementing policies, legislation, standards and regulations, capacity building initiatives and knowledge dissemination for climate change mitigation actions. This support is in line with achieving Sustainable Development Goals as well as contributing to keeping global warming below 1.5deg Celsius.
Mitigation includes expanding “sinks” that absorb carbon from the atmosphere (such as forests and oceans) while improving energy efficiency in buildings, industries and transportation systems. Mitigation also means reducing agricultural emissions of methane and nitrous oxide – two greenhouse gas emitters – for low-carbon, resilient development pathways. All of these actions play an essential role in mitigating climate change impacts while moving toward low-carbon resilient development pathways – this is especially crucial in high income countries who bear greater historical responsibility for creating solutions to mitigate climate crisis through innovation funding and driving mitigation solutions forward.
Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to cut emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, and achieve global climate goals while mitigating any negative environmental impacts.
Energy-efficient technologies, appliances, buildings and practices can dramatically cut costs, decrease air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate economic development. Energy efficient solutions benefit families and businesses by decreasing import requirements of energy imports as well as generation costs; helping usher in a clean-energy future and contributing to an inclusive transition process towards renewables.
Energy efficiency refers to optimizing energy use so as to provide similar services such as lighting, heating and cooling or manufacturing processes with less energy use. It differs from energy conservation in that energy-efficient devices and appliances are better equipped for integrating renewable sources like wind or solar, saving on fossil fuel use while still meeting service delivery. It differs even further from renewable energy, which seeks to replace fossil-based electricity sources with alternatives such as wind or solar power; both however can work together as energy-efficient devices can integrate renewables more readily reducing primary fossil fuel dependency while renewables reduces primary fossil fuel usage by replacing fossil-based electricity with renewable energies like wind or solar based electricity production from sources like wind or solar. However, unlike its counterpart renewables replace fossil-based electricity generation through renewable technologies while renewables and reduce usage reducing primary fossil fuel dependency thus saving energy use from primary fossil sources thus cutting CO2 emissions by replacing fossil-based power with alternatives like wind or solar; both can work separately from renewables like wind or solar as renewables replace fossil-based electricity with alternative renewable energies such as wind or solar generate electricity producing renewable electricity instead. However both work together; energy-efficient devices/appliances more suitable than their counterparts while energy conservation/consumption can reduce fossil-based electricity with wind or solar while replacing fossil-based electricity generation by replacing primary sources while simultaneously. However both types work separately, but both work in terms of their generation using primary fossil fuel sources with primary sources from sources generating renewable sources by replacing it while renewable sources as opposed to replace primary sources whereas renewable energy production while carbon emissions; while renewable energies. However both also replace fossil-based electricity; unlike renewable energy production using more efficiently-consuming devices/appliance can help integrate renewable power consumption can reduce carbon usage more suitable devices allow integrating renewable power replacement reduce primary source while use combined together reduce primary use energy-based ones do reduce primary usage with primary source, carbon emissions while both work in terms of renewable electricity produced through carbon emissions related factors that produce primary sources, hence both are needed more.
Adaptation
Adaptation reduces people’s vulnerability to climate change impacts such as floods, droughts, heat waves, sea-level rise, etc. Through actions such as strengthening defences against extreme weather and improving water storage and use, creating new rules and regulations to manage land and forests and using desalination technology in coastal regions becoming too salty, adaptation can reduce people’s vulnerability and lessen impacts from climate change impacts such as flooding.
Local governments and communities are at the forefront of adaption efforts, undertaking projects such as strengthening flood defenses, installing green roofs and reforesting coastal areas. Such actions also serve to mitigate climate change by decreasing carbon dioxide emissions – these forms of actions are known as ecosystem-based solutions.
At the national level, adaptation strategies can be found in National Adaptation Plans and climate change policies and strategies. Many of these plans align closely with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC – in fact, most NDCs contain commitments for adaptation goals or commitments as opposed to mitigation objectives and targets; the overlap between mitigation and adaptation activities related to sustainable agriculture or forestry activities is even greater.
Local governments
Local governments are at the forefront of mitigating climate change by adapting locally. They design and build flood defenses, prepare for extreme heat events and weather events such as tornadoes, plant trees and wetlands which absorb stormwater and help keep air temperatures down, as well as design plans to adapt.
Local governments can advance climate action by supporting policies to increase renewable energy use, reduce carbon pollution from buildings, and safeguard natural ecosystems. They can lead by example by sharing their best practices and setting ambitious goals.
Denton City Hall has taken steps toward climate neutrality by implementing a carbon pricing program, aligning departments around common goals, and providing transparent reporting through a public dashboard. These actions demonstrate Denton’s dedication to meeting its climate goals while serving as a model for other local governments.