Bridging the gap: Integrating climate mitigation and adaptation strategies for sustainable future

Abstract

Nowadays, at the forefront of policies and plans of national, international, and European levels stand the sustainable development and adaptation to climate change. Under a worst-case scenario, response to climate change may result in retrogression, which goes against the ideas of sustainable development because it increases the amount of greenhouse gases emitted while making certain populations more vulnerable. This would mean that including goals of sustainable climate change adaptation into a framework of sustainable development could open a window toward planning scenarios where sustainability and resilience are combined. Human-caused climate change is increasing the risk to the continued survival of life on Earth. The increasingly ominous shift in Earth's climate is the result of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, largely from human activities like burning fossil fuels. It is expected that climate change will worsen over the coming two to three decades with heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, storms, and floods. These will increasingly be hazardous to human health and international stability because of these events for which adaptation and mitigation strategies should be taken. Besides perpetuating the current problems, pollution and environmental degradation elevate the risk of nature and humanity before the altering climate. In this assessment, we look at the condition of global climate change from several angles as it is now.