What this lesson teaches
I can explain how climate action supports, or sometimes limits, sustainable development.
Syllabus K229, Topic 2.3, Key Question 1. How does climate action help achieve sustainable development?
Make a guess
A coastal city builds a higher sea wall. Does that tackle the cause of climate change?
- Yes, because concrete absorbs carbon dioxide.
- No. It reduces harm, which is adaptation.
- No, and so it does not count as climate action.
- Yes, because it stops sea levels from rising.
Show the answer
No. It reduces harm, which is adaptation.
A sea wall helps people cope with rising seas. Cutting emissions, or removing carbon, is mitigation and deals with the cause.
Mitigation cuts the causes of climate change, adaptation reduces the harm, and good climate action also protects people's livelihoods.
Mitigation means cutting greenhouse-gas emissions or taking more carbon out of the air. Adaptation means changing how we live to reduce harm from climate change. We need both. Adaptation deals with risks we already face. Mitigation limits future risks, so adapting stays possible.
Sort these
Does each measure cut the causes of climate change (mitigation) or reduce its harm (adaptation)?
Groups: Mitigation, Adaptation.
- Replacing a coal power station with solar farms
- Planting drought-tolerant crop varieties
- Protecting a forest from being cleared
- Raising the entrances of buildings in a flood zone
- Building cooling centres for older people during heat waves
- A carbon tax that makes emitting more expensive
Show the answer
Mitigation
- Replacing a coal power station with solar farms Solar power makes electricity without burning fuel, so it cuts emissions at the source.
- Protecting a forest from being cleared Keeping trees standing stops stored carbon escaping and lets the forest keep absorbing it.
- A carbon tax that makes emitting more expensive Raising the cost of emissions pushes firms to emit less, which tackles the cause.
Adaptation
- Planting drought-tolerant crop varieties Farmers cope better with drier weather, which reduces the harm of climate change.
- Raising the entrances of buildings in a flood zone It keeps water out of buildings when floods come, reducing harm without changing emissions.
- Building cooling centres for older people during heat waves It protects vulnerable people from heat, so it lowers harm rather than cutting emissions.
Climate change is a threat multiplier. It makes existing problems worse. Drought deepens water shortages. Heat adds to health risks in poor housing. Floods can wipe out incomes already hit by poverty. So the effects are uneven.
Sustainable development meets today's needs without harming future generations' ability to meet theirs. Repeated climate damage drains money from schools, healthcare and roads into repairs. This limits development. Poorer communities and developing countries often carry the heaviest burden compared with what they have.
Climate action can bring extra benefits, like cleaner air and lower bills. But poorly planned action can create new risks. A dam might force people from their homes, or flood defences may protect one neighbourhood and leave another exposed.
Measures also interact. Desalination secures water in droughts but uses a lot of energy; if that energy comes from fossil fuels, emissions rise. When judging a measure, ask who benefits, who pays and how long it will keep working.
- Mitigation
- Cut emissions or remove carbon.
- Adaptation
- Reduce harm from climate change.
- Threat multiplier
- Climate change makes existing problems worse.
Step by step
Reduce causes
Mitigation cuts emissions or adds carbon removal.
Reduce harm
Adaptation helps people cope.
Protect development
Share the costs and benefits fairly.
Worked example: A threat multiplier, step by step
A family already spends most of its income on food. Drought cuts harvests and raises food prices. Now there is less money for healthcare. Climate stress has multiplied an existing weakness.
Watch out for this
Once a city adapts, it no longer needs to cut emissions.
Adaptation has costs and limits. Mitigation keeps future change at a level people can manage.
Check your understanding
Which plan shows mitigation and adaptation working together?
- Cut emissions, and stop spending on flood preparation.
- Build a sea wall and assume emissions have fallen.
- Cut power-station emissions and protect low homes.
Show the answer
Cut power-station emissions and protect low homes.
Yes. It reduces future change and current harm.
Check your understanding
Which of these is adaptation rather than mitigation?
- Singapore's carbon tax on large emitters.
- The Marina Barrage, which reduces flooding.
- The Tengeh floating solar farm on a reservoir.
Show the answer
The Marina Barrage, which reduces flooding.
It reduces harm from climate effects.