South African Climate Action Network

Two areas of action are needed to respond to climate change: adaptation and mitigation.

Adaptation

Further global warming and resulting climate change is locked into the system due to its inertia – the full impact of greenhouse gas emissions is only experienced many years after they occur. Thus far we have seen a 0.7˚C rise in temperature since pre-industrial times and due to the inertia in the climate system are committed to over 1˚C of global warming. Adapting to or coping with the effects of climate change will therefore be necessary; particularly in countries such as South Africa, as it is highly reliant on climate-sensitive resources.

Adaptation refers to the adjustment of ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected changes in climate and their impacts. It refers to actions to reduce potential damage (e.g. strengthening bridges to withstand stronger storms and floods; planting a wide range of crops to reduce vulnerability  to changes in rainfall) or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change.

Mitigation

Mitigation refers to the measures undertaken to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to store carbon, e.g. by planting trees or pumping CO2 into old oil wells. Mitigation includes energy efficiency and conservation, switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, capturing methane from coal mines and landfill sites, which is used or burned (methane causes over 20 times as much global warming as CO2) and changing land-use practices.