How Can We Respond to Climate Change?

Action to address climate change falls into two categories:

Mitigation
 

Mitigation aims to cut down human activities which produce greenhouse gases. Actions in this category include increasing energy efficiency, reducing the use of fossil fuels, developing other sources of renewable energy and reducing deforestation and peatland degradation. Mitigation also includes the development of natural and technological methods of storing carbon.

Mitigation is a long-term strategy with a global perspective, involving fundamental issues of economic development and requiring compliance with international agreements.

Adaptation
 

Even if CO₂ emissions were halted now, the effects of climate change would be felt for at least another 40 years. Actions to help the environment and people cope with these effects are essential and urgent. Preparing for a Changing Climate in Northern Ireland (.PDF 1.41Mb).

Unfortunately the ways in which human society adapts to climate change through changes in agriculture, fisheries and forestry, construction of flood and coastal defences, renewable energy development, water conservation measures and recreation activities can also add to the pressures on wildlife.

It is important that planning for each of these sectors takes environmental conservation into consideration.

If our wildlife is to adapt successfully to a changing climate it is essential that we act now to make sure that habitats are in the best possible condition, supporting the greatest number of species and individual organisms.

Where possible, we must maintain habitats, but it will also be necessary to allow for future changes in their distribution. Species will need to be able to move.
This will need identification, protection and effective management of sites that will both link habitat patches and allow the set up of those habitats in new areas.
The boundaries of designated sites may need to change to allow them to fulfil their original function.
Outside protected sites agri-environment schemes will have an increasingly important role to play in providing refuges and habitat connections for wildlife in the wider countryside. At present we cannot know exactly how our wildlife will react to climate change. More research will be needed and monitoring of sites and populations will become increasingly important in planning the conservation response.

Our Natural Heritage Directorate recognises these needs and we are now looking at the implications of climate change for all aspects of our work. This should make sure that we will be able to take the most effective action to maintain the diversity of Northern Ireland’s wildlife.