Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Notes

Introduction to Climate Change

  • Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
    • Mitigation: Avoid the unmanageable.
    • Adaptation: Manage the unavoidable.

Key Learning Objectives

  • Differentiate between climate change adaptation and mitigation.
  • Identify and analyze various initiatives in both categories.

Definitions

  • Adaptation:

    • Focuses on reducing negative effects of climate change and leveraging opportunities.

  • Mitigation:

    • Aims to reduce risks of loss from undesirable climate events by addressing root causes of climate change.

IPCC Perspectives

  • Mitigation: Involves policies intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sinks, such as reforestation.
  • Adaptation: Involves measures to minimize vulnerability of ecosystems and human systems to climate change impacts.

Examples and Metaphors

  • Adaptation Metaphor: A sinking ship -

    1. Grab a bucket.
    2. Pour out the water to stay afloat.

  • Mitigation Metaphor: Sealing the leak of the ship to stop more water from pouring in.

Climate Change Scenarios

  • Drought Scenario:

    • Increased heat temperatures lead to strategies such as water recycling and drought-tolerant crops.

  • Sea Level Rise Adaptation:

    • Building stronger homes and infrastructure to withstand floods and storms through methods like constructing sea walls.

Mitigation Strategies

  • Transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal.
  • Promote electric vehicles powered by renewable energy.
  • Improve energy efficiency in buildings.
  • Reforest and protect existing forests to enhance carbon absorption.

National and Local Initiatives

  • Philippine Development Plan (2011-2016):

    1. Enhancing resilience of natural systems.
    2. Improving environmental quality.
    3. Enhancing conservation and rehabilitation of natural resources.

  • Climate Change Action Plan (2011-2028):

    • Strategic priorities include:
    1. Food security.
    2. Water sufficiency.
    3. Ecosystem stability.
    4. Human security.
    5. Climate-smart industries.
    6. Sustainable energy.
    7. Knowledge development.

Weather Forecasting Improvements

  • Deployment of advanced Doppler radar systems for better weather monitoring and flood warnings.
  • Targeted installations for improved accuracy in flood-prone areas.

Geohazard Assessment

  • Completion and distribution of geohazard maps to local governance units.
  • Identifying high-risk areas for landslides, requiring community relocations.

Resilient Crop Development

  • Distribution of:
    • Submergence-tolerant rice varieties (20,400 kilos).
    • Drought-tolerant varieties (1,200 kilos).

Environmental Quality Enhancements

  • Clean Water Initiatives:

    • "Adopt an Estero/River Program" leading to the adoption and improve 162 waterways.

  • Clean Air Initiatives:

    • Campaigns against vehicle emissions and improving fuel quality.
    • Introduction of electric vehicles.

Conservation and Rehabilitation Measures

  • E.O. 23: Imposes a total logging ban, combating illegal logging.
  • National Greening Program initiated to reforest and rehabilitate natural resources.

Challenges in Adaptation

  • Maladaptation: Actions meant to reduce vulnerability that inadvertently increase risks.
    • Example: Infrastructure in Ho Chi Minh City designed to mitigate flooding exacerbated vulnerability due to unexpected climate impacts.
    • Example: Melbourne's response to drought led to maladaptive projects that created more carbon emissions without strengthening adaptive capacities.

Adaptigation Concept

  • A combined response integrating both adaptation and mitigation strategies, exemplified by planting forests alongside rivers which serves both to absorb carbon (mitigation) and manage flood risks (adaptation).