Climate Change Mitigation vs Adaptation — GCSE Geography Revision

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What is Climate Change Mitigation vs Adaptation?

Responding to climate change involves two main approaches: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation strategies aim to tackle the causes of climate change by reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This includes actions like using renewable energy, planting trees, and carbon capture. Adaptation strategies involve responding to the effects of climate change and trying to reduce its negative impacts, for example, by building sea defences to protect against sea-level rise or growing drought-resistant crops.

Board notes: The distinction between mitigation and adaptation is a key concept in the climate change topic for all boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR). Students need to be able to define both terms and give specific examples of strategies at different scales (local, national, and international).

Worked example

Common mistakes

• 1Confusing mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation reduces the cause of the problem (the greenhouse gases), while adaptation deals with the consequences (the impacts of a warmer world). Remember: Mitigation = Minimise causes, Adaptation = Adjust to effects.
• 2Thinking that we can choose to do either mitigation or adaptation. Scientists agree that we must do both. Even with ambitious mitigation efforts, some climate change is already locked in, so we must adapt. But without mitigation, the level of climate change will become impossible to adapt to.
• 3Focusing only on large-scale government schemes. Individual actions, when multiplied, can also make a difference. Mitigation can include insulating your home or cycling instead of driving. Adaptation can include installing a water butt to save water during a drought.

Climate Change Mitigation vs Adaptation exam questions

Exam-style questions for Climate Change Mitigation vs Adaptation with mark-scheme style solutions and timing practice. Aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.

Frequently asked questions

• What is carbon capture and storage (CCS)?

  CCS is a mitigation technology that aims to capture CO2 emissions from power stations and industrial sites. The captured CO2 is then compressed and transported to be permanently stored deep underground in geological formations. It is a promising but expensive and unproven technology.

• What is an example of an international agreement on climate change?

  The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, is a landmark international agreement where nearly all countries in the world agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Each country submitted its own pledges for cutting emissions.