Image of a wind farmHow can the impact of climate change be reduced?


Sustainable development
It is vital that governments, organisations and individuals are aware of the threat posed by climate change, and are motivated to take urgent action for the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. This requires the implementation of national and international frameworks for sustainable development. The UK government’s sustainable development strategy is outlined in the publication 'Securing the future' (2005). [see reference 51] The strategy identifies four inter-connecting priority areas:
  • Sustainable consumption and production
  • Climate change and energy
  • Natural resource protection and environment enhancement
  • Sustainable communities. [see reference 51]
Mitigation
There are a number of ways the impact of climate change can be reduced through mitigation processes. [see reference 52] These include reducing GHG emissions, reducing the demand for energy and using energy more efficiently, taking action in the transport and housing sectors and promoting reforestation. Some of the mitigation techniques for different sectors available at present and in the future are outlined in Table 1.

Changing lifestyles and behaviours, as well as management practices are essential for the mitigation of climate change across all sectors as detailed below. [see reference 52] These can include changes in consumption patterns, in behaviour and cultural patterns, and to education and training programmes. [see reference 52]

Table 1: Key mitigation technologies and practices by sector.

Sector

Key mitigation technologies and practices currently commercially available

Key mitigation technologies and practices projected to be commercialized before 2030

Energy supply

Improved supply and distribution efficiency; fuel switching from coal to gas; nuclear power; renewable heat and power (hydropower, solar, wind, geothermal and bioenergy); combined heat and power; early applications of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS, e.g. storage of removed CO2 from natural gas).

CCS for gas, biomass and coal-fired electricity generating facilities; advanced nuclear power; advanced renewable energy, including tidal and waves energy, concentrating solar, and solar PV.

Transport

More fuel efficient vehicles; hybrid vehicles; cleaner diesel vehicles; biofuels; [h] modal shifts from road transport to rail and public transport systems; non-motorised transport (cycling, walking); land-use and transport planning.

Second generation biofuels ; higher efficiency aircraft; advanced electric and hybrid vehicles with more powerful and reliable batteries.

Buildings

Efficient lighting and daylighting; more efficient electrical appliances and heating and cooling devices; improved cook stoves, improved insulation ; passive and active solar design for heating and cooling; alternative refrigeration fluids, recovery and recycle of fluorinated gases.

Integrated design of commercial buildings including technologies, such as intelligent meters that provide feedback and control; solar PV integrated in buildings.

Industry

More efficient end-use electrical equipment; heat and power recovery; material recycling and substitution; control of non- CO2 gas emissions; and a wide array of process-specific technologies.

Advanced energy efficiency; CCS for cement, ammonia, and iron manufacture; inert electrodes for aluminium manufacture.

Agriculture

Improved crop and grazing land management to increase soil carbon storage; restoration of cultivated peaty soils and degraded lands; improved rice cultivation techniques and livestock and manure management to reduce CH4 emissions; improved nitrogen fertilizer application techniques to reduce N2O emissions; dedicated energy crops to replace fossil fuel use; improved energy efficiency.

Improvements of crops yields.

Forestry/forests

Afforestation; reforestation; forest management; reduced deforestation; harvested wood product management; use of forestry products for bioenergy to replace fossil fuel use.

Tree species improvement to increase biomass productivity and carbon sequestration. Improved remote sensing technologies for analysis of vegetation/ soil carbon sequestration potential and mapping land use change.

Waste management

Landfill CH4 recovery; waste incineration with energy recovery; composting of organic waste; controlled waste water treatment; recycling and waste minimization.

Biocovers and biofilters to optimize CH4 oxidation.

Source: IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Metz B, Davidson OR, Bosch PR et al Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The mitigation processes and measures that reduce climate change are likely to involve costs ranging from the expense of developing and deploying low-emission and high-efficiency technologies; to the cost consumers may face by switching from emissions-intensive to low-emission goods and services. [see reference 53] The costs associated with mitigating GHG emissions will differ depending on how and when the emissions are cut. Early and well-thought out measures need to be taken, otherwise the cost of mitigating emissions could become much greater. [see reference 53]

Reducing emissions and carbon footprints
Setting targets for the reduction of GHG emissions is critical at individual, national and international levels. In accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries are required to reduce their GHG emissions below levels specified in the Protocol (see What is being done globally?). In the UK, the draft Climate Change Bill [see reference 54] and the 2007 Energy White Paper [see reference 55] (see What is being done in the UK?) set the UK’s target for reduction of CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, with 26-32 per cent by 2020, against a 1990 baseline. The Scottish Government’s draft Climate Change Bill [see reference 56] has set a more determined target of cutting emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. Experts suggest that emission reduction targets should now be at least 80 per cent and should aimed to be achieved by 2050 [see references 57, 58 and 59] which is a much greater reduction than currently proposed by the UK Government. At an individual level, carbon reduction targets include meeting the sustainable carbon footprint [i] for every person on the planet, which is estimated at two tonnes each year. [see reference 60] Currently in the UK the average person uses approximately 10 tonnes per year [j] (see Figure 5).

Figure 5: Average annual individual carbon emissions in the UK

Figure 5: Avergae annual individual carbon emissions in the UK


























Graph adapted from the Faculty of Public Health (2008) Sustaining a Healthy Future: Taking action on climate change.

There are a number of measures (of varying scale) that can be used to reduce the amount of CO2 that is being emitted, these include:
  • Carbon offsetting is a way of mitigating GHG emissions by calculating individual’s emissions and then purchasing ‘credits’ from emission reduction projects. For further information please see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/carbonoffset/index.htm
  • Carbon trading (often called cap and trade) is a way to cut emissions through providing an economic incentive to reduce CO2 emissions. For further information please see www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/trading/index.htm
  • Contraction and convergence conceived by the Global Commons Institute (GCI) in the early 1990s consists of reducing overall emissions of GHGs to a safe level, 'Contraction', where the global emissions are reduced because every country brings emissions per capita to a level which is equal for all countries, 'Convergence'. For more information on Contraction and Convergence please see www.gci.org.uk/contconv/cc.html.
Adaptation
Adaptation is important in responding to the impacts of climate change and in supporting economic stability and sustainable development. [see reference 61] Potential adaptive responses include technological (eg sea defences), behavioural (eg alterations in lifestyle and food choices), managerial (eg changed farm practices) and policy changes (eg planning regulations). [see reference 28] There are potential costs with adaptation; for example, if farmers change to more climate resistant crops, which yield less. [see reference 61]

It is important to note that while adaptation can lessen the negative impacts of climate change, it cannot resolve the causes of climate change itself. Therefore adaptation and mitigation are both needed as response strategies to climate change. Strong and early mitigation is essential and, without it, the costs of adaptation will rise, and the ability of countries’ and individuals’ to adapt successfully will be limited. [see references 28 and 61] In terms of public health, adaptation is critical to lessen the risk of human disease, morbidity and mortality as a result of climate change. [see reference 62] Health systems will need to plan for and adapt to climate change, and take into account the associated costs.

Further sources of information: [h] In principle., biofuels have been seen as a way of reducing GHG emissions compared to conventional transport fuels: while their use releases CO2, the plants from which they are produced can absorb a comparable amount of the gas from the atmosphere. The use of biofuels as a more climate-friendly fuel source has been questioned, however, due to the energy expenditure involved in their production.
[i] The Carbon Trust defines a carbon footprint as ‘The total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, event or product.’ The government has produced a resource for calculating carbon footprint and ways to reduce it. This resource is available at www.direct.gov.uk/en/environmentandgreenerliving/actonco2/DG_067197. Other useful carbon calculators can be found at the World Wildlife Fund www.footprint.wwf.org.uk/ and at www.mycarbonfootprint.eu/.
[j] Estimates of annual average per capita emissions vary from 9 tonnes to 12 tonnes.

© British Medical Association 2008

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