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Adaptation and Mitigation Synergies and Trade-Offs

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Synonyms

Adaptation and mitigation inter-relationships

Definitions

Mitigation (of climate change): “human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases (GHGs)” (IPCC 2014a).

Adaptation (to climate change): “the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects in order to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities” (IPCC 2014a).

Synergy: “The interaction of adaptation and mitigation so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their effects if implemented separately” (Klein et al. 2007: 749).

Trade-off: “A balancing of adaptation and mitigation when it is not possible to carry out both activities fully at the same time (e.g., due to financial or other constraints)” (Klein et al. 2007: 749).

Differences Between Mitigation and Adaptation

Mitigation and adaptation are two complementary strategies for addressing the risks of climate change (IPCC 2014b). Mitigation of climate change refers to a “human intervention...

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Correspondence to Marco Frey or Federica Gasbarro .

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Frey, M., Gasbarro, F. (2019). Adaptation and Mitigation Synergies and Trade-Offs. In: Leal Filho, W., Azeiteiro, U., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Climate Action. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71063-1_17-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71063-1_17-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71063-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71063-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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