What Are Mitigation and Adaptation?

Written By Teacher: Liz Ransom

As a High School Spanish teacher and student newspaper advisor, Liz has taught for over 20 years and has served as World Languages Department Chair and K-6 summer camp activities leader. She has worked in Ohio, Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, and Chile.

For teachers and students interested in delving into climate solutions, understanding the difference between mitigation and adaptation is fundamental. When students focus on climate solutions that reduce or help to absorb greenhouse gases, they learn about climate mitigation. For example, in this math lesson for grades 3-5 about multiplication, students discover how reducing plastic production leads to lower emissions. When students focus on solutions to climate impacts, they learn about adaptation. For example, this ELA lesson teaches K-2 students how to stay cool in extreme heat, while this social studies lesson introduces middle school students to the career of chief heat officer. Both mitigation and adaptation are essential for solving the climate crisis, as explored in this 9-12 ELA lesson on climate fiction. Teachers can help students reflect meaningfully on climate action by learning about the complementary roles of mitigation and adaptation. 

Written By: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative

The MIT Climate Change Engagement Program, a part of MIT Climate HQ, provides the public with nonpartisan, easy-to-understand, and scientifically-grounded information on climate change and its solutions.

Mitigation and adaptation are two complementary ways people can respond to climate change—one of the most complex challenges the world faces today. Mitigation is action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the amount of warming our planet will experience. Adaptation is action to help people adjust to the current and future effects of climate change.

These two prongs of climate action work together to protect people from the harms of climate change: one to make future climate change as mild and manageable as possible, and the other to deal with the climate change we fail to prevent.