Giving Compass' Take:

• Climate actions and strategic planning should involve both mitigation efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation plans to orient systems toward the impact of climate change. 

• How is your company incorporating both mitigation and adaptation? In what ways can philanthropic capital drive progress in climate planning? 

• Learn why no ecosystem on Earth is safe from climate change.

Climate actions often have fallen into one of two strategies: mitigation efforts to lower or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere, and adaptation efforts to adjust systems and societies to withstand the impacts of climate change. The separation has led to the misinformed view that addressing climate change means pursuing either mitigation or adaptation.

This divide is counterproductive and dangerous, especially for coastal villages, farmers, small island nations and other communities at the frontlines of climate impacts. The reality is that adaptation and mitigation are two sides of the same coin. In fact, methods and technologies that both curb climate change and cope with its impacts already exist.

It is not always possible or practical to work solely on actions that are both adaptive and mitigating. Nor are these actions a silver bullet to solving the climate crisis. Simply put, where they make sense, governments and communities should pursue such actions. Below are five solutions that can both curb climate change and help us cope with its impacts at the same time:

  1.  Protect coastal wetlands
  2. Promote the benefits of sustainable agroforestry
  3. Decentralize energy distribution
  4. Secure indigenous peoples' land rights
  5.  Improve mass transit

These are just some examples of climate actions that address both adaptation and mitigation simultaneously. Many others exist and can accommodate different sectors, ecosystems, countries and communities. The climate crisis is massive and urgent. Given limited funding, resources and attention that can be allocated to solving it, policymakers need to prioritize such integrated efforts.

Read the full article about climate mitigation and adaptation by Isabella Suarez at World Resources Institute.