Climate Mitigation vs. Climate Adaptation

For the most part, we confront and combat climate change through two different paths – climate mitigation and climate adaptation. Most people have heard of both terms, but the differences often go overlooked. Both climate mitigation and climate adaptation address the negative impacts of climate change, and both aim to reduce the effects that it has on our communities, environment, and natural resources. The differences, however, lie in the stages of implementation and the pathways by which they create positive change. Below, we take an in-depth look at each strategy, comparing and contrasting their most beneficial aspects. 

Climate Mitigation

Climate mitigation, simply put, is the process of reducing the magnitude of climate change itself and minimizing the risks and effects of all of its functions. Today, most scientists and economists agree on the dangers of the changing climate and the strategies needed to reduce its impact on natural and human environments. To make real, effective change, however, government officials and policymakers must agree on moving forward with incentivizing clean energy and technology to reduce the most significant impacts of human contribution. They must also analyze current and future climate adaptation strategies that will help us sustainably coexist with the worsening climate problem. 

The two primary areas we must focus on to mitigate human-induced climate change are emissions reductions and geoengineering.

Emissions Reductions

Reducing emissions from our everyday lives and various industrial processes is the first step to minimizing the human contribution to the changing climate. Instead of finding ways to mitigate damage that has already occurred, this method looks to reduce or eliminate future emissions contributions that will lead to more robust and complex problems. 

Emissions reductions start from the top and trickle down through our societies. While every action counts, real change does not occur individually – we earn real climate change at local, national, and even global government levels. 

Carbon Pricing is one method for governments to control greenhouse gas emissions from the top of the funnel. Carbon pricing is essentially the calculation of the costs of releasing CO2 into the air by the ton. The costs – environmental and human damages accrued through climate change – must be covered by those responsible, especially when the burden falls on everyday citizens or those who play a vital role in our economy – such as farmers. 

Governments evaluate and charge for carbon emissions in two ways: Carbon Taxes and the Cap-and-Trade System. 

Carbon Taxes place a direct tax on coal, oil products, natural gas, and any other fossil fuel that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions when burned. While this should theoretically reduce the number of harmful products producers use, they often pass the tax to everyday consumers. In reality, governments need improved methods to mitigate the number of resources used for energy and manufacturing. 

Cap-and-Trade is a more effective method in reducing carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. This method sets allowances for a company or organization’s total carbon emissions each year. Using this system, we create a market-based approach where organizations that achieve emissions under their “budgets” can benefit by selling their carbon credits to other companies and producers who have exceeded their limits. The cap-and-trade system not only encourages reduced emissions but also promotes the development of new technology and strategies that minimize greenhouse gases and the overall use of resources – driving us forward in the fight against climate change. 

Geoengineering

Geoengineering is the intentional manipulation of the environment on any scale that combats the effects of climate change. Unlike strategies such as reducing human carbon emissions, geoengineering aims to manipulate the earth or natural systems to offset the global carbon footprint and other degradation factors. Techniques can be as simple as planting plots of trees to sequester excess carbon from the atmosphere to more complex methods that require mass-scale changes such as fertilization of the ocean to promote phytoplankton growth – improving the potential of the sea to act as a carbon sink. 

While few geoengineering strategies have seen significant attention regarding data collection and strategic effectiveness, more governments and organizations are interested in the positive potential that geo-strategies could have in the fight against climate change. 

Climate Adaptation

Climate adaptation takes a more parallel approach to climate change than climate mitigation – recognizing the current climate problems we face and developing ways to reduce the impacts they may have in the future. Climate adaptation strategies protect natural resources, environmental processes, and human health by analyzing risks on local and regional levels and developing strategies that reduce the expected impacts. Once implemented, observation and analysis of each system are critical to improving future methods of combating climate change. 

One way to prevent the loss of human life, infrastructure damages, or environmental degradation seen as a result of climate change is to develop or renovate infrastructure using climate prediction models. For instance, if a seaside town expects the sea level to rise significantly over the coming years, they can build defense infrastructure that stops these changes from significantly impacting communities or the environment. While building preventative infrastructure costs money upfront, the benefits commonly outweigh the costs that would occur if unprepared for future damages. 

Which is Better: Climate Mitigation or Climate Adaptation?

While it would be great to identify a single solution that could bring us to a situation where climate change impacts are of no concern, it is simply not achievable. Instead, we must utilize all knowledge of climate change, understand its consequences, and make changes to reduce the negative impacts on humans and the environment – using climate mitigation and climate adaptation strategies. 

For the most part, we confront and combat climate change through two different paths – climate mitigation and climate adaptation. Most people have heard of both terms, but the differences often go overlooked. Both climate mitigation and climate adaptation address the negative impacts of climate change, and both aim to reduce the effects that it…