What is climate change mitigation?
Every day, harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emitted into the atmosphere around the world. In 2023, the yearly amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions was 37.5 billion metric tons worldwide. Since 1990, global CO2 emissions have risen by over 60 %. Consequently, the planet heats up and the greenhouse gas effect contributes to climate change. This has negative effects on our biodiversity, ecosystems, weather patterns, and millions of people on Earth. To mitigate the negative effects of climate change and keep global warming under the dangerous threshold of 2° C, emissions must be reduced by 45 % by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. This is defined in the Paris Agreement of 2015. These efforts of reducing and stabilising the current amount of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and building carbon sinks by increasing forests or improving land management are referred to as “climate change mitigation” or carbon mitigation. Mitigation actions and strategies are crucial for protecting the most affected people and areas. Mitigation is essential to limit the impacts of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and habitat destruction. All disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities. Achieving these goals requires systemic changes across all sectors and collaboration at global, national, corporate, and individual levels.
What do mitigation efforts look like?
Mitigation strategies reduce or eliminate emissions of greenhouse gases – not just CO₂, but also methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and others that have an even higher short-term global warming potential. The aim is to limit the human impact on the Earth’s climate by stabilising greenhouse gas levels to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally while safeguarding food production and ensuring sustainable economic growth. Effective mitigation measures include:
- Transitioning to renewable energy (e.g. wind, solar, hydro) to replace fossil fuels)
- Improving energy efficiency in buildings, appliances and transportation
- Electrifying transportation and increasing the use of public transit, biking, and walking
- Implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to prevent CO2 emissions at their source
- Promoting sustainable land use to reduce deforestation and restore degraded ecosystems
- Advancing climate-friendly agriculture by reducing methane emissions from livestock and fertilizers as well as improving carbon soil storage
- Enhancing waste management through recycling, composting, and reducing food waste
While these efforts seem easy on paper, it is difficult to implement them in reality. Reducing and avoiding emissions requires systematic changes in all regards of life. It is a global challenge that needs innovative solutions to change the way we produce, move around, consume, and live.
Who can contribute to mitigation?
Economies worldwide need to incentivise more sustainable and clean actions across different sectors such as energy generation, construction, transportation, agriculture, waste management, and forestry. Simultaneously, policies should discourage those actions that produce significant harmful emissions. All countries need to increase the use of renewable energy and electric cars or cut down greenhouse gases from power plants, factories, or farms. Also, deforestation needs to slow down drastically, and restoring natural habits needs to become a priority. To support mitigation, companies can invest in high-quality climate projects such as afforestation or reforestation to help remove greater amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Individuals can have a positive impact on the climate by adopting a more sustainable behaviour. This could mean biking to work instead of using the car or switching to a more plant-based diet.
Mitigation vs. adaptation. What is the difference?
Although the two terms go hand in hand, they have different meanings. Mitigation aims to avoid or reduce the emission of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to reduce the total impact of climate change. Adaptation is the preparation and action needed to adjust to the current or potential impacts of climate change, now or in the future. It aims to protect the most vulnerable communities, mostly in developing countries, from extreme weather events, rising sea levels, loss of biodiversity, and food and water scarcity. This can include infrastructure or behavioural changes, as well as nature-based options such as building flood defences in affected areas or planting drought-resistant crop varieties. In short: while mitigation addresses the causes of climate change, adaptation focuses on dealing with its effects. Both strategies are essential for a sustainable future.
In a nutshell
Climate projects play an important role in mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon sinks. Renewable energy initiatives, reforestation, agricultural land management, and carbon capture technologies contribute directly to reducing CO2 levels. In addition, while their primary focus is on mitigation, some climate projects also support adaptation by strengthening ecosystem resilience, improving water management, and promoting sustainable land use. By integrating both adaptation and mitigation, these projects build a more climate-resilient society.