Climate Change: Adaptation & Mitigation

What is climate change?

Long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns; current global warming is mainly driven by human greenhouse gas emissions.

What causes today’s global warming?

Human activities, especially burning fossil fuels, increase greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.

What are greenhouse gases?

Gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that absorb and re-emit heat in Earth’s atmosphere.

What is climate change adaptation?

Adjusting to actual or expected climate change and its effects to reduce harm.

What is climate change mitigation?

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions or increasing their removal to limit climate change.

What is the key difference between adaptation and mitigation?

Adaptation manages climate impacts; mitigation addresses the causes of climate change.

Give two examples of climate adaptation.

Building flood barriers and opening cooling centres during heat waves.

Give two examples of climate mitigation.

Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and improving energy efficiency.

Why is planting drought-resistant crops adaptation?

It helps agriculture cope with hotter or drier conditions.

Why is installing solar panels mitigation?

Solar energy can replace fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Why can restoring forests be climate mitigation?

Forests absorb carbon dioxide as they grow, removing some greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

How can one project support both adaptation and mitigation?

Urban trees can provide shade during heat waves and absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.