What do ‘mitigation’ and ‘adaptation’ really mean?

Mitigation and adaptation to climate change contributes to the objective expressed in Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): ‘to achieve… stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations… [and to] allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change.’ The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines adaptation as:

‘adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities’.

In adapting to future climatic conditions a number of wider benefits will result including:

• reducing the risks to business continuity, delivery of services and economic and reputational risk;
• reducing but not eliminating exposure to extreme weather damage;
• increasing the long-term sustainability of investment decisions;
• reducing environmental pollution and enhancing environmental protection; and
• creating a safer and more comfortable working environment for employees and travelling environment for the public.

Adaptation has evolved from a focus on cost-benefit analysis and identification of the ‘best economic’ adaptations to including a risk-based approach, accounting for predicted future scenarios and context-specific impacts. The need for adaptation arises when the anticipated risks or experienced effects of climate change require action to ensure people’s safety and the security of ecosystems, assets, and their services.

Adaptation cannot overcome all of the effects of climate change due to limits, such as the inability to restore outdoor comfort under high temperatures. Further, some adaptation options will only become cost viable when climate change effects are significant enough to justify the investment costs.