Mitigation vs Adaptation
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Mitigation
Slowing down climate change so the earth stops warming. This is done by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that are in the air. Since carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas, reducing carbon pollution is necessary to keep climate change from getting worse. There are some activities that help both mitigation and adaptation.
Adaptation
Adjusting to the changes that have already happened – are going to continue happening – because of climate change. We know that heat waves are more severe and more common than in the past. Since we know this, we can plan ahead so that the impacts are reduced. Flooding is another type of extreme weather event for which we can plan ahead.
Mitigation vs Adaptation Heading link
| Mitigation | Adaptation |
|---|---|
| Ride a bike or take a train instead of driving | Prepare an Emergency Kit for your family. Visit Ready.gov to begin creating your own emergency kit. |
| Drive a fuel efficient car | Build a rain garden to help capture storm water and reduce flooding in the streets. Visit Chicago Botanic Gardens (https://www.chicagobotanic.org/library/spotlight/raingardens) for more information on how to build your own rain garden. |
| Insulate your home so you use less energy for heating and cooling | Convert a black roof to a white roof to repel heat |
| Use reusable straws, lunch bags, and grocery bags | Plant trees |
| Unplug cell phone and computer chargers and other electronics when not in use | Ensure the downspouts are away from your house and don’t go into the sewer line |
| Add solar panels to your house | Install permeable landscaping to help the ground absorb rainwater |
| Change lightbulbs to LED | Clean gutters, drains, and downspouts |
| Clean or replace HVAC filters every 3 months. A dirty filter will make the system work harder and use more energy | Improve your lot grading so stormwater will drain away from your house |
| Wash clothes in cold water | Wear long sleeve shirts and pants and a hat when going to forested areas |
| Use a programmable thermostat so you’re not blasting the air conditioning when no one is home or using too much heat overnight | Limit engine idling |
| Make sure your tires are properly inflated | Set your thermostat a little higher in the summer to protect the electrical grid on extreme temperature days |
| Plant trees | Connect with neighbors now so you can reach out to them during a natural disaster |
| Eat less meat and reduce food waste | Replace lawns with native plants |