Key Points
Although mitigation of climate change is a global process
that will take centuries to effect, it is valuable to take
certain mitigation steps now. Reducing the production of
greenhouse gases in the region will result in immediate
improvements in the regional environment and contribute
to better health and well-being and to economic efficiencies
in households and businesses.
Why be concerned about mitigation?
At first glance, the most immediately useful and least
economically disruptive response to climate change and
climate variability is to develop strategies for adapting
to and moderating those impacts of climate change and variability
that affect us most directly. Because climate change is
a global phenomenon, this argument goes, and because it
takes decades and even centuries for some greenhouse gases
to disappear from the atmosphere, we should seek ways to
deal with the local impacts of climate change and variability
rather than trying to reduce it at the global level. Attempts
to mitigate climate change could involve efforts that will
take years and require concerted and expensive international
cooperation.
For example, one of the principal means of mitigating
climate change is reducing the production of greenhouse
gases. Since
mitigation strategies will only
indirectly affect our local climate,
many reasonable people assume that mitigation should not
be a priority for the region. One problem with
this approach is that if every city and country decides
to give low priority to the mitigation of greenhouse gases,
current trends in the global climate will continue and
may even accelerate, causing more severe direct and indirect
impacts in local areas.
A related problem is that focusing on adaptation to local
impacts of climate change without attempting to reduce
future changes to Earth's climate is not a responsible
position for a city or region, a state, or a country. This
is an issue of good governance and responsible stewardship
of the Earth, not an issue that speaks to the self interest
of local governments or even the nation.
Near Term Benefits of Mitigation
Perhaps most important, giving low priority to the mitigation
of future climate change ignores the reality that the reduction
of greenhouse gas production is not useful merely because
it contributes to the reduction of future global climate
change. Mitigation strategies can have other, extremely
valuable collateral benefits for the tri-state region,
benefits that are often overlooked. They include:
- Improvements in local environmental quality,
- Improvements in local public health and well-being, and
- Stimulation of the local economy.
In general environmental terms, reducing greenhouse gases can lead to an immediate improvement in the quality of the local environment. Air quality in the region could improve, bringing with it health benefits such as reducing the incidence of asthma and other upper respiratory diseases. Water quality could also improve, and public funds spent on improving water quality could be used for other beneficial purposes.
Many mitigative measures could also have economic benefits
for the region. In residential and commercial construction,
sustainable building practices can lead to healthier
indoor environments, lower energy use, and a reduction
in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. If greenhouse
gases are reduced because of the availability of a public
transportation system that is more efficient and cost-effective
than the current system (which is dependent upon the use
of private automobiles) families might end up paying less
for transportation and the region itself would be less
dependent upon imported sources of energy. Switching from
older, less efficient appliances to newer,
energy-efficient appliances
and technologies is another mitigation strategy that lowers
energy costs for households and contributes
to greater profitability for businesses.
These changes would be observable in a few years, certainly
in decadal rather than century time scales. In a very real
sense, mitigation of greenhouse gases would contribute
to improving the regional environment, a benefit
to
be enjoyed in our lifetimes and those of our children.
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