Climate change mitigation refers to efforts undertaken to lower or prevent greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously increasing Earth’s ability to absorb these greenhouse gasses. It can be accomplished through measures such as fossil fuel burning or deforestation reductions; or through improving energy efficiency or using renewable energies.
Reducing short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon and tropospheric ozone is shown to prevent millions of premature deaths every year due to air pollution, while also providing near-term benefits including economic development.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Mitigation refers to efforts intended to lower atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide; such gases are produced through human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation that contribute to global warming.
Other than their impact on climate change, these greenhouse gases also contribute to local air pollution and respiratory illness. Reducing emissions from these sources also decreases pollutants like fine particulates and nitrous oxides that contribute to ground-level ozone formation, providing both health and quality of life benefits.
Reducing emissions involves several approaches, such as using renewable energy sources, improving building energy efficiency, decreasing fossil fuel usage and shifting management practices. Such actions may also help preserve and enhance carbon sinks like forests, wetlands and peatlands that store CO2.
Limiting greenhouse gas emissions has been found to also improve outdoor air quality, saving lives by decreasing breathing difficulties among its participants. Led by Meridith Fry, PhD – an alumna of Gillings School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at UNC – and co-authored by UNC colleagues Zachariah Adelman, Raquel Silva, and Yuqiang Zhang; this research shows how including co-benefits associated with air quality improvements into cost-benefit analyses can significantly boost estimates of these investments’ worth.
Adapting to the impacts of climate change
Climate change impacts are already being felt around the globe. While mitigation efforts must continue in order to limit further warming, adaptation efforts will still need to take place as changes become inevitable. These can include building resilience against extreme weather events; strengthening early warning systems; developing climate-risk specific insurance mechanisms; and creating new protected areas and species habitats.
Governments at all levels are increasingly including climate change in their development plans, whether that means building flood defenses, moving infrastructure away from coastlines and planting trees to protect soil and water; or planning for drought, developing new crop varieties or changing land-use policies.
Adaptation differs from mitigation by seeking to manage its existing effects of climate change that have already arisen, including heatwaves and wildfires, natural disaster risk reduction measures, food security issues and improving energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. By taking these steps we can move closer towards meeting our goal of keeping global temperatures to within 1.5degC above pre-industrial levels.
Mitigating the impacts of climate change
Attaining stable global temperatures requires significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening carbon sinks – two effective means of slowing climate change. Achieve this requires individuals adopting sustainable habits as well as governments introducing regulations and providing incentives.
Mitigation measures involve changing emission sources (for instance by switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy), improving equipment and practices efficiency or introducing new technologies (e.g. electric cars). The goal is to lower CO2 concentration in our atmosphere below 450 parts per million; scientists consider this level a safe threshold.
UNDP is helping countries advance towards this goal, from supporting investments in renewable energy sources like wind or solar to working with small island developing states like Comoros to increase access and enhance energy efficiency. Through the Green Climate Fund, we also aid governments in taking steps that are most suitable for them to implement nationally appropriate mitigation actions. Paris climate agreement calls on wealthy developed nations to provide financial and technical aid to low- and middle-income nations in order to limit warming below 1.5degC and mitigate irreversible environmental and human effects. This support helps ensure all nations can take steps needed to limit global warming to 1.5degC or lower, helping limit irreversible damage both on people and nature.