The big idea: Mitigation means tackling the causes of climate change — cutting greenhouse-gas emissions or removing carbon dioxide from the air.
It is different from adaptation (2.3.2), which means coping with the effects. Mitigation attacks the source; adaptation manages the impact.
The main mitigation strategies
- International agreements — countries jointly pledge emission cuts (e.g. the Paris Agreement).
- Carbon pricing — carbon taxes and carbon trading make polluting expensive.
- Carbon offsetting — funding emission cuts elsewhere (e.g. tree planting) to balance your own.
- Renewable energy & technology — solar, wind, electric vehicles, carbon capture replace fossil fuels.
- Reforestation & geo-engineering — large-scale removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere.
Source vs impact: If a strategy reduces emissions, it is mitigation.
If it helps people live with the effects (sea walls, drought-resistant crops), it is adaptation — that's the next micro.
Examiners want the mechanism — how a strategy reduces greenhouse gases. Name the strategy, then explain the chain to lower emissions.
| Strategy | How it reduces emissions |
|---|---|
| Carbon trading (e.g. EU ETS) | Caps total emissions and lets firms trade permits → polluting costs money → firms cut emissions |
| Carbon offsetting | Funds projects that absorb or avoid CO₂ (tree planting) to balance emissions made elsewhere |
| Renewable energy | Solar/wind replace fossil-fuel power stations → far less CO₂ per unit of electricity |
| Carbon capture / geo-engineering | Captures CO₂ from power stations or air and stores it → less reaches the atmosphere |
| Regulation & carbon tax | Government rules and taxes make high-carbon activity costly → encourages low-carbon choices |
Answering an 'Explain' [4]
- Name the strategy (e.g. invest in renewable energy).
- Give the mechanism — how it works (replaces fossil-fuel power stations).
- Link to emissions (so less CO₂ is released). 2 marks per developed strategy.
Explain two strategies a government can use to reduce the causes of climate change.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
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EU Emissions Trading System (carbon trading): The EU ETS caps total emissions from heavy industry and power, issuing tradable permits.
Effect: firms that cut emissions can sell spare permits; heavy polluters must buy more — a financial reason to decarbonise. EU ETS-covered emissions have fallen markedly since 2005.
Costa Rica (renewables + reforestation): Costa Rica generates close to 99% of its electricity from renewables (mostly hydro, plus geothermal and wind) and pays landowners to protect forests.
Effect: very low-carbon power and forests that absorb CO₂ — mitigation at both the source and the sink.
The Paris Agreement (international): Under the 2015 Paris Agreement almost every country pledged emission cuts to keep warming well below 2 °C.
Effect: a shared framework and national targets — though success depends on countries actually meeting their pledges.
Name a real scheme: Top markband answers name a real scheme (EU ETS, Costa Rica, Paris Agreement) and give its effect — not just 'use renewables'.
How this is tested: An infographic line graph of carbon-offset volume over time is the usual stimulus: read the axes, then Describe the trend [2] and judge to what extent the evidence shows mitigation is working [6].
The markband 'to what extent' essay [10] rewards accurate terminology, named case studies, a balanced two-sided argument, and a justified conclusion — Explain [4] strategies and Outline [2] a technique also appear.
Read the axes first. Where is the line flat, and where does it climb steeply?
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Using the graph, describe how the volume of carbon offsetting changed between 2010 and 2021.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
"Technology is the best way for governments to tackle climate change." To what extent do you agree?
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
IB-style question — describe the trend
Using the graph, describe how the volume of carbon offsetting changed between 2010 and 2021. [2]
Model answer
- Overall trend + figures: offsetting rose overall, from about 40 Mt CO₂e in 2010 to about 160 Mt in 2021 — roughly a fourfold increase.
- Add detail: the rise was slow up to 2016 (40 → 60 Mt) then much faster after 2016.
Final answer
1 mark for the overall trend (an increase) + 1 mark for valid quantification (e.g. 40 → 160 Mt, or the post-2016 acceleration).
Markband marks: (1) Argue both sides (one-sided answers cap mid-band). (2) Anchor each side to a named example. (3) End on an explicit judgement that answers 'to what extent'.