Addressing Climate Change Through Integrated Responses: Linking adaptation and mitigation

Sustainable development, climate change adaptation, and mitigation are inextricably interconnected, with potential for conflicts and trade-offs, as well as synergies and co-benefits. Countries have established national policy processes aimed at addressing these complex issues. Inherently, these policies and strategies often have interconnected objectives and common themes, which creates a foundation for alignment and joint activities to provide common solutions to these challenges.

Exploring opportunities for synergistic and joint mitigation–adaptation actions could create long-term impacts and broad political support. To achieve holistic actions, a coherent and coordinated approach is crucial for exploring the synergies and trade-offs between mitigation and adaptation and realizing integrated solutions.

This policy brief aims to build on a series of recent peer learning events focused on addressing climate change through integrated responses by linking adaptation and mitigation at the planning and implementation stages. It seeks to increase the conceptual understanding, awareness, and knowledge of joint adaptation and mitigation actions and provide the rationale for fostering integrated climate actions. It also unpacks how to assess synergies and trade-offs as part of a coherent planning and implementation process and identifies concrete steps to advance and strengthen integrated climate strategies.