How can climate change be managed?

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How can climate change be managed?

There are two main approaches to managing climate change: mitigation (reducing causes) and adaptation (reducing impacts). Both are essential for limiting future risks and building resilience in communities.

Climate Change Mitigation

Mitigation involves reducing the causes of climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Alternative energy production, carbon capture, afforestation and international agreements are all examples of climate change mitigation.

Alternative energy production

Switching from fossil fuels to wind, solar, and tidal power cuts CO₂ emissions. In the UK, the electricity sector has reduced emissions significantly—by around 41% from 2023 to 2024—making it the single largest source of emissions decline.

Types of renewable energy

Carbon capture

CCS removes CO₂ from power station emissions. Large-scale projects can capture up to 85–90% of CO₂, although real-world rates may be closer to 75%. Captured CO₂ can be injected into old coal mines or geological formations.

Planting trees

Planting trees helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as trees absorb it during the process of photosynthesis. The UK plans to plant 30,000 hectares of new woodland annually until 2050, covering up to 16% of land by 2040. Careful species selection improves carbon storage and ecosystem resilience

International agreements

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that countries signed to reduce their carbon emissions by 5 per cent, and it came into effect on February 16, 2005. The Kyoto Protocol expired in 2012. Its impact has been limited due to major developing countries, such as China and India, not being required to make reductions, and the US refusing to participate.

The most recent UN climate talks were held in Paris in 2015. During these talks, it was agreed that the European Union would put its emissions-cutting pledges inside the legally binding Kyoto Protocol. Many major countries have signed up for the Paris Protocol.

The main aim of the protocol was to agree to limit global temperature change this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius. In the Paris Agreement, each country determines, plans, and regularly reports its contribution to mitigate global warming. There is no mechanism to force a country to set a specific target by a specific date; however, each target should exceed the previously set targets.

Current UK targets are aligned with net-zero by 2050 and rely on collective action and progress tracking.

Climate Change Adaptation

Adaptation strategies aim not to reduce the impact of climate change, but rather to respond to it by mitigating its negative effects. Changes in agricultural systems, managing water supply, and reducing the risk from rising sea levels are all examples of climate change adaptation.

Change in agricultural systems

Farmers respond to climate change by adapting their farming practices. This can include changing the type of crops they grow to those better suited to a warm climate, e.g. grapes.

Areas at risk of desertification will need to change their farming approaches. Low-technology solutions to this include the use of stone lines. The Sahel case study offers further insights into managing areas vulnerable to desertification.

Managing water supply

There may be a greater need to develop water transfer schemes. These involve moving water from areas of surplus (where there is more water than is used) to areas of deficit (where there is insufficient water). This can be achieved by building water transfer pipelines. An example of this is the Kielder Water Transfer Scheme in the northeast of England.

Reducing the risk of rising sea levels

This involves developing coastal defences to protect areas at risk of coastal flooding and reduce the risk of further land erosion. It is estimated that sea levels will rise between 28 and 43cm by 2100, putting settlements and valuable agricultural land at risk. This will have a knock-on effect in increasing the costs of insuring properties and protecting at-risk areas.

The Environment Agency and local councils are developing Shoreline Management Plans to manage the threat of coastal change. They identify the most sustainable approach to managing the flood and coastal erosion risks to the coastline in the:

short-term (0 to 20 years)
medium-term (20 to 50 years)
long-term (50 to 100 years)

Summary

Mitigation Strategies
Mitigation aims to reduce the causes of climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions, for example through renewable energy and afforestation.
Carbon Capture
Carbon dioxide from power stations can be captured and stored underground, resulting in a reduction of up to 90% in emissions.
Tree Planting
Afforestation helps absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Global Agreements
International agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to limit global temperature rise and require countries to regularly update their emissions targets.
Adaptation Strategies
Adaptation involves responding to the impacts of climate change by modifying farming practices, managing water supplies, and constructing coastal defences.
Sea Level Response
To reduce risks from rising sea levels, the UK uses Shoreline Management Plans, which set out long-term strategies to manage coastal change.