Sustainable Procurement Environmental & Social Standards Enhancement Centre of

Excellence (SPESSECE), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

ENSD 845: CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES
Master of Science in Environmental Studies

LECTURE 2
Climate Change Mitigation

Resource Person: Dr. SK Habila

1
Recap of last Lecture
• We had a long discourse on the IPCC, UNEP, and Some Scholar’s
perspectives on Climate change actions, causes, and its nexus with
anthropogenic activities, drivers, and effects.
• We established the findings of the rising global indices on sea level,
temperature, warming of oceans, ocean acidification, and Declining
or shrinking of ice sheets, sea ice, and glacial retreat.
• The UNEP 2023 report called for a climate change emergency via
actions that should drop GHG emissions; otherwise, there will be
catastrophic consequences for life on planet Earth.
• In this light we shall continue our discussion today on Mitigation
strategies.
 What is Mitigation?
• The term Mitigation refers to the actions of reducing the severity,
seriousness or painfulness of something (online Oxford Dictionaries).
It is also means the act of reducing how harmful, unpleasant, or bad
something is (www.dictionary.cambridge.org).
• Hinging on the above definition and the sphere of this course,
Mitigation of climate change would mean all the actions put forward
to reduce or prevent the flow of heat-trapping green house gases
(GHG)-carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous
oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), into the atmosphere from
human activities (EU, 2024 www.eea.Europa.eu and UNDP, 2024
www.promise.undp.org)
• It involves actions taken by government, institutions and individuals
to enhance carbon sinks and removal from the atmosphere, thus,
reducing the heat trapping gases that keeps the earth warming.
• Mitigation is a climate action that primarily aim at saving planet Earth via carbon
emissions reduction and or increasing carbon
sequestration/confiscation/removal. Adaptation is also a Climate Action (CA)
that focuses on several ways of adjustments to cope with the imprints of Climate
Change (CC) and reduction of vulnerability (Garrison & Martinez, 2024).
• So, Mitigation is the Prevention actions on activities that could enhance release
of GHG leading global warming, while, Adaptation is coping actions in already
existing climate change effects
• Mitigation and Adaptation are both strategic actions and pathways to handling
GHG emissions sources of Carbonic oxides, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), and other
GHG and addressing the already emitted and deposited GHG in the atmosphere
at high concentrations/ amounts with their consequential effects of change in
climatic conditions, respectively. Notably, the presence of GHG can’t be
withheld, and CC effects are inevitable. So, both actions can’t be discrete.
• Mitigation simply minimizes effects of CC via tackling sources of heat trapping
gases, while Adaptation initiates ways of coping with existing CC effects.
• Riding on the aforementioned, Davis (2010) in his book “Who Will Build the
Ark?” opined that,
“The world’s failure to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions in time means that the
most heroic efforts of our children’s generation will be unable to forestall a radical
reshaping of ecologies/ecosystems, water resources, living areas, and agricultural
systems” (2010, p.29). By amplification of Davis thoughts, the Failure to curb/
prevent/reduce the emission of GHG would mean Negating sustainability. The
question to the world now is, who will build the ‘ark of stability’ of an unstable
earth that is experiencing increasing global warming to avoid future disastrous
events?
• The problem confronting humankind now is how to simultaneously minimize and
prepare for climate change as much as possible in the time that remains.
Mitigation and adaptation may be connected through a co-benefits-symbiotic
relationship when actions taken in pursuit of one simultaneously eventually
serve to advance the other and potentially increase cost-effectiveness, efficiency,
and political buy-in from stakeholders (Sharifi, 2021 & Boyd et al., 2022)
• By extension, the failure to act now via mitigation and adaptation, there will be
no future for our unborn generation. So where is Sustainability? CC Mitigation is
a prime approach that should help in securing the future from our little corner-
rooms, homes, neighborhoods, abodes of business, districts/ local areas, states,
Nation, and the world via sustainable consumption and use of environmental
resources. So that we can achieve the control of GHG emissions and CC
mitigation gradually becoming achievable.
• Climate actions involve two indiscrete strategies-Mitigation
and Adaptation. In simple terms,
• Mitigation and adaptation are two complementary ways that
CC can be responded to and addressed.
• For emphasis sake, Mitigation involves the set of actions put
in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the
amount of warming the planet Earth will experience. While,
• Adaptation are the actions put in place to help people adjust
to or cope with the current and future effects of Climate
Change
• These two prongs of climate action work together to protect
people from the harms of climate change: one to make future
climate change as mild and manageable as possible, and the
other is to deal with the climate change we had failed to
prevent.
• However, current knowledge/ literature on Mitigation and Adaptation of
CC such as: those of
• Hallegate,(2009); Magnan et al. (2016); Work et al. (2019), observed
that, it may lead to a strain called “maladaptation” which is simply a
situation when adaptation makes mitigation highly difficult to reduce
vulnerability especially for persons who were most vulnerable ab -nitio , it
then veers into the maladaptation stage.
• As a follow-up to this definition, Barnett and O’Neill (2010) define
maladaptation as actions ostensibly taken to avoid or reduce vulnerability
to CC that impacts adversely on or increases the vulnerability of other
systems, sectors and social groups. Such actions may increase the GHG
burden to the most vulnerable, high opportunity costs, reduce incentives
to adapt and limit choices available to future generations
• For instance, continuous running of energy-intensive air conditioners to
adapt to rising temperatures/ heat and establishing a high cost
desalination water treatment plant to address water scarcity would
impact negatively high cost living on low-income households (Barnett and
O’Neill, 2010).
• By extension may increase the release of GHG in increasing use of Fossil
fuels in trying to adapt or cope with the imprints of CC by all possible
means.
Appreciate the gallery in the next slide, does it speak
something to you?

S.K. HABILA
 Gallery of Man’s actions on emission of heat-trapping Gases

Domestic ccoking with wood

fuel

Emissions from industrial Stack Super Generating Set emissions

Small Generator use

Bush Burning by hunters and farmers Deforestation-Trees curring Emissions from vehicles/
Cars
• From the previous gallery slide; a stack releasing gaseous emissions to the
atmosphere from an industrial process; a burning bush releasing CO from
farmers and hunters activities, a super generating set emission CO as well;
• . cooking with wood
Cutting down of trees in a forest (Afforestation), A woman
fuel and emitting CO; emissions of CO from small generating set and
emission of CO from automobiles in a transport corridor. All these are the
root sources of GHG (heat-trapping gases) which results in global warming
and Climate Change
• Now, Mitigation discretely focuses on handling the root causes of CC or the
human activities, that cause the emission of heat-trapping gases
(greenhouse gases) that eventually result in climate change.
• The amount of heat-trapping gases that humans are adding to the
atmosphere is going higher and faster than our planet Earth can absorb
them.
• By extension, MITIGATION intentionally put actions to reduce the sources of
greenhouse gas emissions, and or enhance greenhouse gases’ “sinks” and
remove them from the atmosphere.
• The question therefore is, is it possible to enhance GHG/ Carbon sinks?
• If Yes, then Mitigation is achievable.
S.K. HABILA
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE SUFFICES
• When intentional efforts to minimize the root causes of GHG emission-Global
warming fails, the following are examples of what will be the obvious
consequential effects to deal with
• Incessant increase in Global Temperature & Consequential effects on
Agriculture. Rising temperatures cause severe anomalies and variations in
weather elements such as heavy or scanty precipitation in different regions
depending on their climatic characteristics (the abnormal experience eventually
sets in, against the normal trend and pattern).
• This is manifested in decreasing or increasing events of rainfall in the wet season
and increasing and decreasing dry harmattan wind levels during the dry season.
Consequently, causing floods and drought situations. This, in turn, have effects
on crop production and yields-Agricultural decline/ disruptions-hunger threats.
• In Addition, Robert Mendelsohn’s (2007) simulation of the likely effects of
Climate change in Agriculture that has occurred from year 1960 to 2000 at global
rise temperatures of 0.250C and CO2 concentrations causes precipitation
patterns to shift with impact on Agriculture. However, the implication of
simulated mitigation actions on reducing GHG shows positive impact on
agriculture, though.
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE SUFFICES
• Water Supply and Sanitation Effects: The United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2023 Report has proven the
increase in water scarcity by 2030 as a result of climate change.
Currently over 2 billion people are considered to have severe water
scarcity which would worsen due to climate change effects,
population increase, and water demand. 12% of the world’s
population is currently drinking water from unreliable and unsafe
sources with Africa inclusive. Water borne diseases are bound to be
prevalent as inappropriate water supply and sources are being
consumed by people.
• Planetary and Public Health Effects: Rising temperatures could
translate to severe heat waves leading to health risks. Intense
bushfires, and sea level rise due to iceberg melting could depreciate
the health being of fauna in such habitats.
S.K. HABILA
• Climate Change Mitigation strategies could be viewed as the
activities or actions done to protect nature from society (Stehr
& Storch, 2005). It addresses the way man-society relates to
nature, which may require making deliberate policies and
improvising ways at which humans harness or use
environment sustainably without leaving dangerous imprints
and or reducing the emission of substances that inimical to
nature’s existence-GHG(Global warming).
• Adaptation, of course , is the reverse, they are ways of
protecting society from nature (ibid). That is, the approaches
adopted by man to cope or manage the effects of the already
deposits of GHG (Global warming) and Climate change
manifestations e.g. extreme weather conditions and
occurrences such as intensified hurricane, flood, bush fires,
snow falls, etc..
• The following slides uncovers the mitigation strategies that
could be adopted to address GHG emissions and Climate
Change effects
1. ADOPTION OF GLOBAL POLICIES, GUIDELINES, AND REGULATIONS ON CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

• This sets the administrative and legal pedestal for Climate Change mitigation
action. It provides the basis for understanding and implementation of the
global aspirations and content of Climate Change actions.
• Recall our introductory Lecture contact, I mentioned that the EUROPEAN
COMMISSION passed a climate act on the 30th of June, 2021 and reaffimed
on September 14, 2022 for all member countries to ensure 55% emission
GHG reduction by 2023 and climate neutrality by 2050 via creation and
adoption of National Plans to achieve the aforementioned (European
Commission, 2019, 2021 & 2023). Is this not mitigation strategies already? Of
course it is, when legal backing is absent or not provided, state efforts to
realizing certain actions are left to chance.
• In the long run, contextualizing climate actions in the realities of localities.
via the adoption of the COP 28 agreement to revert/ minimize temperatures
to less than 1.50C-2.00C preferably pre-industrial time-climate status and
trend. It requires, identifying the high scale human activities predominant in
regions that emit GHG and subsequently, making policies and laws that
should promote the reduction of such activities. Reports of the UN-climate
Change has shown that about 200 countries have set goals to achieve a
reduction of GHG emissions.
• SDG 7 targets to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable,
and modern energy for all-which would discourage the use of fossil
and combustion engine fuels. For, instance, the Economic and
Social Affairs on Sustainable Development of United Nations 2023
reports, reveal that 675 million people still live in the dark with 4 in
5 of them living in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 4 people will still be in
use of unsafe and inefficient cooking systems such as the use of
firewood in cooking, by 2030.
• Therefore, to achieve Clean Energy Use efficiency, there must be a
shift from the current 1.4% pace of clean energy use to 3.4%
benchmark, if progress must be made. Unfortunately, International
Public Fundings for clean energy for developing countries is
declining(https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal7). So alternative funding
must be considered or looked for to realize the implementation of
Clean energy Use Efficiency.
• With these concomitant indices, the realization of clean energy
would remain a mirage because developing countries will
continue to use fossil and unhealthy energy sources of greater
emissions.
• Interestingly, SDG 13- encourages us to employ urgent actions to
combat climate change and its impact via the initiation of
national or domestic strategies in line with global practice. This
another good push for all member countries to adopt and
implement, as it would create a viable grounds to mitigate GHG
sources and eventually reduce Climate Change effects.
• Therefore, The Adoption of Global Climate Action policies/
Guidelines/ Regulations by member countries is one the strategic
options to initiate Mitigation measures on CC . This would also
require Mitigation education and campaign to the doorsteps of
all citizens against actions that encourage the emission of GHG
and the its resultant effects of global warming and Climate
Change consequents on refusal to comply with the movement.