Adapatation and Mitigation Compared

Two Strategies to Deal With Climate Change - Mitigation and Adaptation

Mitigation reduces the greenhouse gases that cause atmospheric changes, and thus reduces the rate of climate change. 

Adaptation decreases negative impacts and enhances positive impacts of a changing climate. Some adaptation measures such as planting trees to reduce wind erosion are also mitigation measures as the trees will also absorbe CO2 from the atmosphere.

An example of the relationship of adaptation and mitigation is that more effective mitigation requires reduced adaptation. Whereas, less mitigation can lead to greater and more rapid climate change, which would pose greater challenges for adaptation and greater risks of damages than would occur with slower climate change.

 Two Strategies to Deal with Climate Change - IPCC