Changes in climatic conditions is one of the most complex issues in the world. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) describes changes in climatic conditions as the gradual alteration of the world’s atmosphere due to human activities. Its impacts are evident all over the world. Occurrences such as cities being hotter than the rural areas are impacts of climatic change. According to Li et al., the phenomenon is referred to as Urban Heat Island (UHI), and it is triggered by extensive use of artificial materials in urban areas (1). Due to soaring urban populations globally and the necessary conservational, health, and energy implications of UHIs, there is increased attention from policy makers and scientists (Li et al. 1). Similarly, climate change, in general, has attracted the same policy makers, planners and scientists to consider measures to mitigate the effects.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), changes in climatic conditions increases morbidity and mortality rates due to the reduction of clean air, safe water, and sufficient food. Many nations have come together to focus their attention on climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Such nations through their policymakers have focused on mitigating and adapting to global climatic change. Therefore, this paper seeks to convince such policymakers that there are measures that can be implemented to lessen the impacts of changes in environmental conditions. However, the paper argues that the impacts cannot be absolutely eliminated, but can only be mitigated. The paper discusses just a few of the possible extenuation strategies as far as the impacts of climate change are concerned.
Mitigation and Adaptation Measures
The relationship between mitigation measures for climate alteration is normally reciprocal with water management. Climate change mitigation measures are likely to impact the management of water sources, therefore, it is necessary to consider the importance of water when designing or evaluating mitigation options. On the other hand, management of water is likely to impact climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, water management comes out as a key factor in the mitigation of climate change. However, mitigation of climate change involves consideration of various factors such as energy supply, agriculture, waste management, transport and infrastructure, and industrialization. Among the most significant areas that require mitigation and adaptation strategies include transport and infrastructure, agriculture and industrialization.
Transport and Infrastructure
The increase in population in the world has also led to the increase in the transportation with more automobiles getting into the roads. Such increased number of automobiles has led to increased carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere thus causing climate change. The higher demand for improved transport system has risen and is expected to rise in the future. Despite the new transport technologies bringing mobility and economic growth benefits, there is need to mitigate the negative result of the climate change brought by the transport industry through emission of carbon dioxide. Countries that are greatest polluters of the environment should be in the forefront to offer mitigation options for the management of carbon dioxide emissions. For example, the United States is accountable for approximately 30 % of gas discharges even though it only comprises 5% of the global population (Burbank et al. 27).
Reduced use of carbon-based fuel should be the way to go if the transport system was to contribute fewer effects on climate change. Other policymakers have suggested the reduction of car ownership and use of alternative transport systems that are environmentally friendly. However, due to the economic viability of the automobile industry in the transport system, carbon-free transport fuel system is the best way forward. Policy makers in the automobile manufacturing industry should consider innovative ways of using carbon-free fuel to facilitate the transportation while the automobile industry remains viable. Also, the perception that the automobile industry is the best transportation system can be changed by the adoption of alternative transport system such as trains which accommodate many people as opposed to personal cars. The alternative transport system is not only advantageous in mitigating the effects of climate change but also reducing congestion in the roads thus offering efficient transportation. Restraining the number of automobiles could limit the rate of carbon emissions in the atmosphere (Burbank et al. 118). The reduction of the vehicles can also be achieved through the adoption of bicycle use for short distance transportation.
The infrastructure sector is also a key area to consider when trying to mitigate the climate change. Buildings contribute to a substantial percentage of total carbon and energy emission globally thus building sector is important in mitigation strategies for climate change. Many countries especially the developed world have adopted the establishment of zero energy buildings recently (Li et al. 1). Such buildings have reduced the need for energy through the elimination of heating and cooling systems. Also, the zero energy buildings could use renewable energy and other environmentally friendly technologies in their energy requirement.
Agriculture
Agriculture is an important sector for all the countries as far as their economies are concerned. Despite the importance of agriculture, improper agricultural practices impact the climate change and come back to haunt agriculture. For example, the usage of fertilizer made of nitrogen is associated with gas releases and water pollution that negatively affects the climate conditions (Stuart et al. 1). Despite the efforts to reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer continue to grow globally, improper fertilizer use continues to exist with poor knowledge of the farmer’s application rate of the fertilizers (Stuart et al. 213). Part of the greatest mitigation strategies of using proper agricultural practices is to push for community-driven behavior whereby farmers at the grassroots are educated to use the correct fertilizers on their farms. They also need to be educated on the consequences of using the nitrogen fertilizers, and perhaps embrace the use of organic manure. Above all, the mitigation should start with the manufacturers who should be made to produce nitrogen-free fertilizers.
Livestock farming is another key agricultural practice that needs to be considered when discussing mitigation measures for climate change. Increased livestock population directly affects climate change (Gerber et al. 17). When the population of livestock goes high, overstocking and overgrazing takes course thus reducing the ground cover and weakens the soil thus leading to soil erosion. The livestock waste also generates methane gas into the atmosphere. Livestock farming should be revolutionized into a different production system that would reduce the impacts of climate change. This section is particularly addressing the policymakers, livestock producers, agricultural researchers and civil societies. These categories of people are significant in pushing the narrative of the importance of livestock keeping as far as the changes in climatic conditions are concerned. Farmers should embrace the conservation of grazing lands thus reducing the conversion of forests into pasture for livestock.
As far as agriculture is concerned, adaptation strategies can advance the crop resilience and livestock production to climate change. On the other hand, mitigation measures could meaningfully decrease the effects of livestock keeping on climate change. Therefore, adaptation and mitigation strategies should be made part of the global and national policies. Adaptation strategies may involve management and production system adjustments, breeding methods, policy and institutional changes, advancing science and technology and positively changing the farmer’s perception of the methods of farming. Activities such as agroforestry and mixed-crop farming are among the best strategies for practicing agriculture that is friendly to the climate.
Industrialization
Various industries emit greenhouse gases into the environment. The contribution of industrialization to climate change is serious that many countries have adopted carbon tax policy to enable them to limit the amount of carbon gas emitted into the atmosphere. The policy is meant to tax goods depending on the amount of carbon it contains and the revenue used in the distribution of renewable energy, research, and development. The strategy has been thought to induce people to prefer less carbon-intensive goods and services since they are made expensive. However, this method does not ensure particular reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
Most industries have also been adviced to adopt environmentally friendly methods of production. Alternative energy use is one of the greatest methods of enhancing proper industrialization that favors the climate change. Such methods include the use of hydropower, solar energy, biomass, wind power, tidal wave and geothermal (Pittock, 37).
The use of fossil fuel and petroleum products contributes to nitrogen and carbon dioxide emission in the atmosphere. Therefore, electrification of industrial processes would probably mitigate the effects of the gases in climate change. It is estimated that developed countries contribute more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere compared to underdeveloped countries due to industrialization.
Conclusion
There are various measures that can be applied as far as adaptation and mitigation to climate change are concerned. Reforestation and landscape restoration are examples adaptation strategies of reducing the vulnerability of the environment to climate change. Land can be restored through tree planting which also acts as carbon sink thus reducing the impacts of climate change. However, the focus should turn to the current technologies that are used in various sectors of the economy. The greatest mitigation and adaptation strategy would be using innovative technologies to advance better climatic conditions globally. Furthermore, this can only be achieved through collaborations of both small and big economies. Furthermore, the mitigation and adaptation strategies cannot all be applied across all countries. Therefore, each country should find the most suitable strategies for implementation.
The essay has focused on three key areas of mitigation and adaptation of climate change –transport and infrastructure, agriculture and industrialization. These areas are the major causes of changes in climatic conditions and are also the most affected by climate change. The paper agrees that there are various measures being implemented to moderate the impacts of changes in climatic conditions but insist that the process cannot be absolutely successful. Therefore, it has tried to convince policymakers in different sectors to agree to that fact and focus on the little efforts that can be used to address the existing challenges.
Works Cited
Burbank, Cynthia J., and Parsons Brinckerhoff. "Strategies for reducing the impacts of surface transportation on global climate change: a synthesis of policy research and state and local mitigation strategies." (2009).
Gerber, Pierre J., et al. Tackling climate change through livestock: a global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2013.
Li, D., Bou-Zeid, E., " Oppenheimer, M. (2014). The effectiveness of cool and green roofs as urban heat island mitigation strategies. Environmental Research Letters, 9(5), 055002.
Li, Danny HW, Liu Yang, and Joseph C. Lam. "Zero energy buildings and sustainable development implications–A review." Energy
54 (2013): 1-10.
Pittock, A. Barrie. Climate change: the science, impacts and solutions. Routledge, 2013
Stuart, D., R. L. Schewe, and M. McDermott. "Reducing nitrogen fertilizer application as a climate change mitigation strategy: Understanding farmer decision-making and potential barriers to change in the US." Land use policy 36 (2014): 210-218.
