Climate change: integrating mitigation and adaptation

23/03/2010 - Article

Taking forests as an example, this new issue of Perspective shows how "adaptation" and "mitigation" could be integrated into international and national policy, in the light of climate change.

Since concerns about the present and potential impacts of climate change first emerged, responses have focused more on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere, or “mitigation”, than on reducing the vulnerability of societies and ecosystems to climate change, or “adaptation”. Today, climate change is seen as inevitable. Adaptation is therefore becoming increasingly important in international and national policies, as well as in local initiatives. Policies address mitigation and adaptation separately, yet they are complementary and must both be implemented at different levels, from the international to the local.

Forests provide an interesting example of how this complementarity could work. Ecosystem services are already recognised and remunerated in mitigation policies (reforestation and soon, perhaps, avoided deforestation). But what about the role of forests in adaptation? How can mitigation and adaptation be linked?

Climate change: integrating mitigation and adaptation
Bruno Locatelli
Perspective no.3
CIRAD, 2010

Fuelling debate, changing ideas and supporting decisions are the main aims of Perspective, a series of 4-page summaries. Each issue will use research work to illustrate an idea or an innovative policy concerning a sustainable development issue of strategic importance for developing countries: food security, land ownership, climate change, energy security, forest management, standards, etc.
Perspective is intended for decision-makers (public, private, associations, etc), but also for communicators–journalists, teachers, etc–and anyone capable of taking on board simply formulated ideas. It is published in French and English.