For corporate sustainability success, it is central to integrate climate adaptation and mitigation measures. However, these are often dealt with in different corporate departments and hence, measures as well as processes are not aligned. For successfully integrating adaptation and mitigation it is key to first distinguish their different nature: While adaptation focuses on problem symptoms, i.e. adjusting to the risks and effects of climate change, mitigation addresses root causes by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding potential competing demands and integrating corporate adaptation and mitigation measures with these differences in mind is essential for greater climate resilience and long-term corporate stability.
This will be the focus of the session “Paradox Management – Dealing with conflicting demands from climate adaptation and mitigation” on Oct 30th, at the Handelsblatt Conference “Corporate Climate Adaptation”.