What this lesson teaches
I can judge how well mitigation strategies, such as cutting emissions and storing carbon, build community resilience.
Syllabus K329, Topic 3.3, Key Question 3. How effective are mitigation strategies in building a community's resilience to climate change?
Make a guess
Almost every country signed the Paris Agreement in 2015. Did signing it cut emissions?
- No, because cooperation between countries rarely works.
- Yes, signing made emissions fall straight away.
- No, not by itself. Countries must act on their targets.
- Yes, because it set the same target for every country.
Show the answer
No, not by itself. Countries must act on their targets.
An agreement only works when targets are strong, governments carry them out and reporting is reliable. Signing is the start, not the result.
Global agreements only cut emissions when countries act on them and people have practical low-carbon choices.
Greenhouse gases mix around the whole atmosphere, so a cut anywhere benefits everyone. That is why countries cooperate: to share money and technology, and track progress. Under the Paris Agreement, each country submits a target, called a nationally determined contribution (NDC), every five years. Each new target is meant to be more ambitious.
Countries differ in their past emissions, wealth and development needs. Fair sharing of responsibility, finance and technology transfer help them act. An agreement only works if the targets are strong enough, governments carry them out, and reporting is reliable. Signing alone does not cut emissions.
National policies change costs and choices. A carbon price makes emitting more expensive. Efficiency standards improve products and buildings. Investing in public transport makes low-carbon travel practical. Singapore acts across power, industry, transport, buildings, waste and households. When judging a policy, ask which emissions it changes, who it covers and who pays.
People can cut energy waste, walk, cycle or share transport, repair things and waste less food. Cost, access and convenience decide whether these choices last. Someone without a useful train service cannot choose to take it; a family may need help to afford an efficient appliance.
The levels support each other. International money can fund national infrastructure, which makes low-carbon choices possible for households. Consumer demand can push firms to offer lower-emission services. So responsibility is shared by people, businesses and governments.
- Paris Agreement
- Countries set stronger targets (NDCs) every five years.
- Carbon price
- Makes emitting more expensive.
- Barriers to choice
- Cost, access and convenience.
Step by step
Agree and support
Countries set targets and share money and technology.
Make change practical
Rules and transport change people's choices.
Check results
Measure real changes in emissions, not promises.
Real examples to use
Paris Agreement, 2015
Almost every country agreed to limit warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to try to keep it to 1.5 degrees. Each country sets its own targets.
Kyoto Protocol, 1997
This earlier treaty set emission targets only for richer countries, and the United States never ratified it.
Worked example: Why information is not enough
A campaign asks people to drive less, but the local bus is rare and hard to reach. People may agree but keep driving. A better bus service removes the real barrier.
Watch out for this
Signing an agreement means emissions have already fallen.
A promise needs action and measured results. Separate a target from what actually happened.
Check your understanding
Which evidence best shows a transport policy has cut emissions?
- The policy sets a big target for 2030 that the government has announced.
- Measured travel and emissions change, other causes ruled out.
- Many people have heard of the campaign and say they support it.
Show the answer
Measured travel and emissions change, other causes ruled out.
Yes. Real, measured change is the best evidence.