Now you can see how to adapt your organisation. Now there's a big piece of the jigsaw missing. .
. How do you link adaptation and mitigation? As a quick reminder, adaptation means dealing with the CONSEQUENCES of climate change.
Mitigation focuses on the CAUSES of the problem. . .
meaning greenhouse gas emissions. These two dimensions are directly linked, as we shall see. First, be careful that your adaptation actions don’t worsen the initial problem.
. . global warming.
Wouldn't that be a bit silly? This is one of the definitions of maladaptation. .
. remember? We're going to discuss it with Vincent Viguié, a researcher in climate change economics.
Hello Vincent. Hello! We hear about adaptation actions that would exacerbate global warming.
Do you have any examples? Yes, there are many examples of adaptation measures that consume energy and therefore lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. The most illustrative example of this is using air conditioning to stop the health consequences of heatwaves.
You see, air conditioning makes up a huge amount of the world’s electricity consumption. According to the International Energy Agency, air conditioning accounts for almost 10% of global electricity consumption. And this figure is rising sharply, particularly after each heatwave, which prompts people in many countries to invest in air conditioners.
In fact, it's important to realise that there are always different ways of adapting to heatwaves. We can use air conditioning, or insulate homes, for example with reflective roofs, or by putting shutters on windows if we don't have any. Cities can be greened.
And in fact, the challenge is to succeed in developing these solutions, to avoid, or at least limit, the use of air conditioning. Thanks Vincent, stay with us, we'll catch up with you in a bit. .
. Second important message: adaptation without mitigation makes no sense. .
. Adapting means treating the symptoms. But if we settle for that, we're not solving the original problem, we're not curing the disease.
The IPCC tells us that if the climate’s sickness progresses too much and becomes too serious, there will be what we call hard limits to adaptation. Clearly, if we don't take DRASTIC mitigation measures, there will come a time when it will no longer be possible to adapt. Studies even show that certain areas of the globe could become uninhabitable if global warming is too severe.
So, today's mitigation is tomorrow's adaptation. Finally, you should know that the two approaches feed off each other and can create synergies. We talk about co-benefits.
Vincent Viguié is back. Vincent, what synergies are there between mitigation and adaptation? There are many synergies between mitigation and adaptation.
Let’s take the example of building insulation, which is a typical example. If it's done properly, it helps to combat the heat in the buildings during a heatwave, and also helps to reduce the amount of energy consumed for heating in winter. Most importantly, what we need to realise is that adaptation and mitigation are linked, and both need to be considered.
In fact, the question is to consider the local environment when running an organisation in a given area. The environment is going to have an increased impact on our activities and our activities are always having an impact on the environment. In reality, we are always under the constraints of the environment.
With that in mind, we sometimes hear about the so-called nature-based adaptation solutions. Can you tell us more about this? Yes, nature-based solutions mean relying on ecosystems to adapt to the impacts of global warming.
And this is one of the key elements of adaptation strategies. This can be done on many scales, but if we take the example of buildings and heatwaves, greening roofs and walls, or planting trees in outdoor spaces can help to limit exposure to extreme heat. One important point, however, is that these nature-based solutions require quite specialised expertise.
In fact, it's ecological engineering. In other words, the choice of species, location and upkeep really depends on the results you want to achieve. Also, keep in mind that these solutions often have many positive co-benefits.
Areas with trees, for example, are well regarded by building residents or office users, and improve their quality of life. And if it's done properly, it can also help to maintain certain local ecosystems. Thank you very much Vincent!
Thank you. As you can see, there are many solutions that let you act on the consequences and causes of climate change, while very often bringing co-benefits to your organisation. .
. and to society as a whole! Basically, it's in your interest to prioritise plans that allow you to act on adaptation and mitigation at the same time.
