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Adaptation and Mitigation

Ways to Address Climate Change

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What is Mitigation?

To prevent the worsening of destruction
To decrease force or intensity. To lower risk.

Earthquake mitigation

Build buildings to withstand shaking better

Flood mitigation

Build dams to hold back overflowing rivers

Climate change mitigation

Reduce carbon dioxide emissions

Some official definitions of mitigation: To moderate in force or intensity, to alleviate. To lessen in force or intensity. Elimination or reduction in frequency, magnitude or severity of exposure. To minimize risk.

An informal definition that could be used to discuss the idea: Basically to make something that could be very bad less bad.

Ask for examples of things people do to “mitigate” for the following environmental effects:

Earthquake – build houses to building codes, try to get people to have emergency kits, meeting points.

Floods – build houses on stilts, make walls so the water can’t get in. Create dams.

Climate Change – mostly involve decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases of all kinds in the atmosphere. For the most part, mitigation cannot reverse warming that has already occurred, it can only slow or stop what would come without any changes.

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What is Adaptation?

Reacting or changing to fit the new circumstance
Coping with impacts that cannot be avoided

Examples:

farmers planting different crops for different seasons
wildlife migrating to more suitable habitats as the seasons change.
Building levees against sea level rise