Which is a mitigation strategy?

using solar power in place of coal. It cuts emissions of greenhouse gases.

Which is an adaptation strategy?

building flood barriers. It reduces damage from the effects.

What did countries agree under the Paris Agreement?

to limit the rise in global temperature. Well below 2 °C, aiming for 1.5 °C.

What is carbon capture and storage?

trapping carbon dioxide from power stations and storing it underground. It stops the gas reaching the atmosphere.

Why is international agreement needed for mitigation?

Greenhouse gases from every country affect the whole planet. One country cutting emissions alone makes little difference.

Responding to climate change · Cambridge IGCSE Geography

In plain words

There are two ways to respond to a flood coming through the door. Turn off the tap, or raise the furniture. With climate change, turning off the tap is mitigation, and raising the furniture is adaptation. Both are needed.

7 things to know

Mitigation means reducing the causes of climate change, by cutting greenhouse gas emissions or removing gases from the atmosphere.
Mitigation methods: replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy; using energy more efficiently; planting trees (afforestation); capturing carbon dioxide from power stations and storing it underground.
International agreements set targets for cutting emissions. Under the Paris Agreement of 2015, countries agreed to keep the rise in global temperature well below 2 °C, and to aim for 1.5 °C.
Adaptation means adjusting to the effects of climate change so that less damage is done.
Adaptation methods: building sea walls and flood barriers; raising buildings; growing crops that resist drought; storing water and improving irrigation; warning systems for storms and heatwaves.
Evaluation: mitigation deals with the cause, but it needs every country to act, costs money now and takes decades to show results.
Adaptation protects people sooner, but does nothing about the cause, and poor countries can least afford it.

Worked example

A coastal city faces rising sea level. Suggest one mitigation strategy and one adaptation strategy, and say how they differ.

Mitigation: replace its coal-fired power station with wind and solar power, cutting emissions of carbon dioxide.
Adaptation: build a flood barrier and raise sea walls to protect low-lying districts.
The first reduces the cause, very slightly and only if others do the same. The second protects the city from the effects, whatever others do.

Tips and tricks

Mitigation treats the cause. Adaptation treats the effects. Get the two the right way round.
International agreements are only as good as their enforcement. A point about countries missing targets is good evaluation.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Responding to climate change: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

Which is a mitigation strategy?
- building a sea wall
- using solar power in place of coal (the answer)
- growing drought-resistant crops
- raising houses on stilts
It cuts emissions of greenhouse gases.
Which is an adaptation strategy?
- planting forests to absorb carbon dioxide
- insulating homes
- building flood barriers (the answer)
- closing coal power stations
It reduces damage from the effects.
What did countries agree under the Paris Agreement?
- to stop all use of energy
- to limit the rise in global temperature (the answer)
- to ban farming
- to move all coastal cities
Well below 2 °C, aiming for 1.5 °C.
What is carbon capture and storage?
- planting trees
- trapping carbon dioxide from power stations and storing it underground (the answer)
- recycling paper
- building reservoirs
It stops the gas reaching the atmosphere.
Why is international agreement needed for mitigation?
- Only one country produces emissions.
- Greenhouse gases from every country affect the whole planet. (the answer)
- Adaptation is illegal.
- Climate change is local.
One country cutting emissions alone makes little difference.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Responding to climate change

Cambridge IGCSE Geography 0460 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

Describe the difference between mitigation and adaptation.[2]
Show answerHide answer
Mitigation reduces the causes of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation is adjusting to the effects of climate change to reduce the damage.
I got this one
Describe two mitigation strategies.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Using renewable energy such as wind and solar power in place of fossil fuels. Afforestation: planting trees, which absorb carbon dioxide. (Also: carbon capture, energy efficiency.)
I got this one
Describe two adaptation strategies.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Building sea defences to protect coasts from rising sea level. Growing drought-resistant crops in areas that are becoming drier. (Also: water storage, raised buildings.)
I got this one

Answers: Responding to climate change

1. Mitigation reduces the causes of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation is adjusting to the effects of climate change to reduce the damage.
2. Using renewable energy such as wind and solar power in place of fossil fuels. Afforestation: planting trees, which absorb carbon dioxide. (Also: carbon capture, energy efficiency.)
3. Building sea defences to protect coasts from rising sea level. Growing drought-resistant crops in areas that are becoming drier. (Also: water storage, raised buildings.)