Managing climate change

Mitigation and adaptation

There are two ways to manage climate change:

reducing the causes, by cutting greenhouse gas emissions or removing them from the atmosphere.
changing how we live to cope with the effects that can't be avoided.

Both are needed: mitigation limits how much the climate changes; adaptation protects people from the changes already happening.

Common mistake

Don't mix them up. Planting trees is mitigation (it removes carbon dioxide); building a sea wall is adaptation (it copes with rising seas).

Key terms

Mitigation

Alternative energy: wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear power produce electricity without burning fossil fuels. The UK now gets a large share of its electricity from wind farms.
carbon dioxide from power stations or factories is captured and stored deep underground. At Norway's Sleipner gas field, it has been stored beneath the North Sea since 1996.
Tree planting: trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.
International agreements: in the of 2015, almost every country agreed to keep warming well below 2 °C, and to try to limit it to 1.5 °C, by cutting emissions.

Evaluation: agreements only work if countries keep their promises, and carbon capture is still expensive and small in scale.

Key terms

Adaptation

Changing agriculture: growing crops that cope with drought or heat, planting at different times, and irrigating more efficiently.
Managing water supply: building reservoirs, fixing leaks, using water meters and recycling water, so supplies last through droughts.
Reducing the risk from rising sea levels: sea walls, flood barriers and raised homes. London's Thames Barrier protects the city from tidal surges; the government plans for it to be replaced or upgraded as sea levels rise.

Evaluation: adaptation is essential, but it is expensive, and poorer countries, often the most at risk, can least afford it.

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

4 marks · about 4 minutes

Explain the difference between mitigation and adaptation, with an example of each.

Explain means: Give the reasons why something happens, developing each point with "because" or "so".

Level 1 (Basic)· 2/4 marks (band 1–2)

Mitigation is stopping climate change. Adaptation is getting used to it. An example is wind farms.

Why this level: Basic definitions and one example that isn't linked to either term. To reach Level 2: explain each term more precisely and give a clear example of each.

Level 2 (Clear)· 4/4 marks (band 3–4)

Mitigation means reducing the causes of climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, for example by generating electricity from wind farms instead of burning coal or gas. Adaptation means changing how we live to cope with the effects of climate change that can't be avoided, for example the Thames Barrier, which protects London from tidal surges as sea levels rise.

Why this level: Both terms clearly explained and the difference made obvious (causes v effects), each with a precise example. Full marks.

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