PowerPoint Presentation

Ways to Address Climate Change

Adaptation and MitigationAdaptation and mitigation are complementary strategies that are both required to address climate change. In the past, adaptation was a bit of a taboo in environmental circles, the rationale being that talk of other policies would lessen the focus on mitigation. Now there is general recognition that we need both. 1What is Mitigation?To prevent the worsening of destructionTo decrease force or intensity. To lower risk.

Earthquake mitigationBuild buildings to withstand shaking better Flood mitigationBuild dams to hold back overflowing riversClimate change mitigationReduce carbon dioxide emissionsSome official definitions of mitigation: To moderate in force or intensity, to alleviate. To lessen in force or intensity. Elimination or reduction in frequency, magnitude or severity of exposure. To minimize risk.

An informal definition that could be used to discuss the idea: Basically to make something that could be very bad less bad.

Ask for examples of things people do to mitigate for the following environmental effects:

Earthquake build houses to building codes, try to get people to have emergency kits, meeting points. Floods build houses on stilts, make walls so the water cant get in. Create dams. Climate Change mostly involve decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases of all kinds in the atmosphere. For the most part, mitigation cannot reverse warming that has already occurred, it can only slow or stop what would come without any changes.2What is Adaptation?Reacting or changing to fit the new circumstanceCoping with impacts that cannot be avoided

Examples:farmers planting different crops for different seasonswildlife migrating to more suitable habitats as the seasons change.Building levees against sea level riseSome official definitions of mitigation: To moderate in force or intensity, to alleviate. To lessen in force or intensity. Elimination or reduction in frequency, magnitude or severity of exposure. To minimize risk.

An informal definition that could be used to discuss the idea: Basically to make something that could be very bad less bad.

Ask for examples of things people do to mitigate for the following environmental effects:

Earthquake build houses to building codes, try to get people to have emergency kits, meeting points. Floods build houses on stilts, make walls so the water cant get in. Create dams. Climate Change mostly involve decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases of all kinds in the atmosphere. For the most part, mitigation cannot reverse warming that has already occurred, it can only slow or stop what would come without any changes.3"Mitigation helps us avoid the unmanageable, while adaptation helps us manage the unavoidable."

A clever colleague once saidThere are still some aspects of mitigation and adaptation that will require tradeoffs or generate synergies. For example, an adaptation strategy to deal with more heat waves could be wider adoption of air conditioning, leading to increased energy usage and higher greenhouse gas emissions (if the electricity is generated using fossil fuels). On the other hand, greater adoption of drought-tolerant crops could reduce agricultural water usage and associated pumping of water which also could reduce energy usage.There is also the possibility of "maladaptation." For example, building better levees can encourage more development in flood plains and even worse damages if/when those levees are compromised. 4

MitigationAdaptation5

World C emissionsChange in world temperaturesContinued growth and flat emissions scenario are taken from the IIASA GGI database (A2r and B2, respectively). Stabilization case is adapted from the B2 480 ppm scenario. http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web-apps/ggi/GgiDb/Halting emissions growth is not enough6Raupach et al., 2007Regional CO2 Emissions

2004Raupach et al., 2007Regional CO2 Emissions

20042000-2004Growth

Davis and Caldeira, 2010

MitigationAdaptation10Food Production

Air QualityForest FiresWater Supply

Diminishing Sierra SnowpackPercentage Remaining, Relative to 1961-1990UCS12Note: Based on HadCM3 model outputSubstantial reductions in snowpack, which is 1/2 of CAs water storage80% precipitation falls in winter before april, but 3/4 water use is between April and Sept.Also affects fire risk and other consequences

http://www.bcdc.ca.gov/planning/climate_change/index_map.shtml13http://www.bcdc.ca.gov/planning/climate_change/index_map.shtml

14