What is climate change mitigation?

Mitigation generally refers to anthropogenic intervention to reduce sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and primarily involves the energy and transportation sectors in industrialised and developing nations. Within the Institution's key themes mitigation of climate change is therefore largely addressed under the energy and transport themes. The environment theme focuses on the reduction of emissions of GHGs in other sectors, such as waste and industrial processes, the provision or enhancing of CHG sinks and methods for combating global warming other than through the reduction of GHG emissions.

The Institution recognises that the international political community is at this time, quite rightly, focused on mitigation through the reduction of sources of GHGs and reaching agreements on targets and mechanisms for achieving outcomes from this approach. However, we also recognise that despite increased awareness of the need to reduce emissions, and technical, economic, legislative and social efforts in this direction, there is currently little sign that this approach will be successful. As a leading learned society for one of the professions significantly engaged in the technical aspects of mitigation it is appropriate for us to take an intellectual lead in stimulating debate on what other solutions might be feasible in the event that GHG emissions reduction is not achievable. To this end, the Institution is developing programmes of work to raise awareness of the need to consider other solutions.