Climate Resilience is the ability of a system - whether it's a community, an ecosystem, or an economy - to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of climate change.
We build community resilience to climate change by addressing both the causes and effects in an equitable way. Addressing the causes enables us to lessen the effects in the future but we are already experiencing those effects today, so Climate Ready Missoula was developed primarily as an adaptation plan. That means we are actively working with partners throughout the County to address the human, ecological, and economic effects of climate change. Climate Ready Missoula enables us to take a comprehensive approach to resilience by building on our existing work to address the causes of climate change by reducing carbon pollution.
Some programs that prioritize clean energy may seem like mitigation strategies because they reduce carbon pollution, but they also help us address the effects of climate change by diversifying our energy supply to protect our power in the face of extreme weather or against volatile market prices in addition to making energy more affordable for more people. This is called an intersectionality and intersectional strategies are a high priority.
Some programs that prioritize clean energy may seem like mitigation strategies because they reduce carbon pollution, but they also help us address the effects of climate change by diversifying our energy supply to protect our power in the face of extreme weather or against volatile market prices in addition to making energy more affordable for more people. This is called an intersectionality and intersectional strategies are a high priority.
What's the difference between mitigation and adaptation?
MITIGATIONADDRESSING THE CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGEA vast majority of the greenhouse gas emissions, which cause rapid climate change, are created through our daily lives including how we heat, cool, and power our buildings; the materials we use to build our buildings, roadways, and other infrastructure; the removal of trees and green spaces; driving in gas-powered vehicles; the food we eat; how the items we buy are created; and the disposal of our waste products.
Missoula is addressing the causes of climate change in many ways, see below to learn more. |
ADAPTATIONADDRESSING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGEWe are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, with longer wildfire and wildfire smoke seasons, extreme summer heat, prolonged drought, spring flooding, and greater variability. These climate impacts affect every sector of our community, including the ways in which we grow our food, protect human health, manage ecosystems, build our buildings, produce energy and design our businesses.
Climate Ready Missoula is one of the key drivers of addressing climate change effects throughout Missoula County. |
