Mitigation

What is climate change mitigation?

It is considered that an activity is participating in climate change mitigation when it contributes to the stabilization goal of greenhouse gasses concentration (GHGs) in the atmosphere, to a level that prevents any dangerous anthropogenic perturbation of the climate system, while increasing efforts to reduce or limit GHGs emisisons, or improve GHGs sequestration.

In the energy field for instance, all the measures related to GHGs reduction are mitigation measures.

What are the differences between mitigation and adaptation?

Adaptation and mitigation both have the same goal : they fight against climate change. However, they do so with different means. Mitigation takes on climate change causes, seeking to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions, whereas adaptation takes on the consequences, targeting social, ecological and economical vulnerability.

These 2 strategies are complementary and sometimes are indivisible. They both take part in fight against climate change, on different scales: mitigation is long-term oriented on a global scale, whereas adaptation is short-term oriented on a local scale. Moreover, adaptation measures have to take into consideration a double uncertainty, that are the future climate and its impacts.

Mitigation projects in IOC member states

Among the IOC islands, mitigation measures are identified in the energy, transport, agriculture or waste fields. These measures and objectives are also defined in member states’ INDCs, and are the following:

Comoros :

Reduce the loss in the distribution network by 30% and that of power station from 8% to 6% ;
Promote renewable energies (solar, wind, hydraulic, etc) ;
Improve the energetic efficacy of the household ;
Promote public transport rather than taxis and renew the car fleet of the island ;
Promote conservation agriculture ;

Madagascar :

Facilitate access to energy and rural electrification, energetic production (restoration of the power stations’ networks) ;
Develop renewable energies by raising the hydraulic and solar contribution from 35% (actual) to 79% ;
Improvement of the energetic efficacy and improvement of households ;
Spread the intensive/improved rice cultivation system widely ;
Promote conservation and climate-smart agriculture on large scales ;
Reforest and durably manage wood production as well as species preservation ;
Produce biogas from wastewater and make compost of domestic organic waste ;

Mauritius :

Modernize electric energy distribution network using smart technologies ;
Increase renewable energies production such as wind farms, solar energy and biomass ;
Increase the energetic efficacy in industry and services sectors ;
Consider the use of less polluting fuel such as natural gas ;
Stimulate an integrated and sustainable waste management as well as energy production from waste ;
Encourage a “climate-smart” agriculture, including biological agriculture;

Seychelles :

Produce from renewable energies, namely 90MW of photovoltaic solar energy. An objective of 15 to 20% of renewable energy is planned in the supply matrix by 2030, and the implementation of hot solar water in the houses up to 80% is suggested ;
Improve waste management : the previous landfill site (Providence 1) will be assembled later with the collection of landfill gasses and flaring equipment ;
Promote clean travelling : 30% of the vehicles will be electric by 2030. This will generate a photovolcaic installation of 15.8 MW in order to satisfy the energy demand of electric vehicles. Besides, the energetic efficacy and biofuels will be targeted in importation regulations ;