Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

The course Climate Change Adaptation and Management is a high-level program within Natural Resource Management, designed to deepen learners’ understanding of climate systems, impacts, and strategies for adaptation and mitigation. It begins with foundational concepts of weather, climate, and classification, including Ethiopia’s unique climate features and the importance of climate data in resource management. The module explores the science of climate change, tracing its natural and human causes, historical development, global patterns, and future projections, with emphasis on greenhouse gases and evidence of rising temperatures. It highlights major drivers such as industrialization, energy use, and deforestation, and examines their effects on ecosystems, biodiversity, and sustainable development, linking these issues to the Sustainable Development Goals. Recognizing vulnerabilities in both natural and social systems, particularly in developing countries, the course integrates social dimensions like gender and equity in adaptation and mitigation. Finally, it reviews global adaptation measures under the UNFCCC and mitigation approaches including carbon sequestration, REDD+, and carbon trading, showing how policy and natural mechanisms can reduce emissions and support sustainable management.