**5. Climate change mitigation and adaptation measures**

Mitigation is "an anthropogenic intervention to reduce the anthropogenic forcing of the climate system; it includes strategies to reduce greenhouse gas sources and emissions and enhancing greenhouse gas sinks [1]. To ensure that environmental sustainability is maintained some urgent measures need to be put in place to help in sustainability of the environment by way of mitigation. Some examples of mitigation actions include developing new low-energy technologies for industry and transport, reducing consumption of energy-intensive products and switching to renewable forms of energy such as solar and wind power. Natural carbon sinks, such as forests, vegetation and soils, can be managed to absorb carbon dioxide, and technologies are being developed to capture carbon dioxide at industrial sources and to inject it into permanent storage deep underground. There is need also to manage the impact as have occurred on the environment. It is true that future impacts on the environment and society are now inevitable, owing to the amount of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere from past decades of industrial and other human activity and to the added amounts from continued emissions over the next few decades until such time as mitigation policies become effective. Taking steps to cope with the changed climate conditions is called "adaptation".

Adaptation is "the adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities" [6]. The measures to be undertaken are those that will try to address the adverse impacts that may occur as a result of non action by humans with the aim of attaining a sustainable environment. Some of these measures may include some of the following; conducting risk assessments, protecting ecosystems, improving agricultural methods, managing water resources, building settlements in safe zones, developing early warning systems, instituting better building designs, improving insurance coverage, developing social safety nets and enhancing public awareness and education. All these measures are intrinsically linked to sustainable develop‐ ment as they reduce the risk to lives and livelihoods and increase the resilience of communities to all hazards. Both, adaptation and mitigation should be considered jointly, as some adapta‐ tion measures can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while conversely mitiga‐ tion measures can be planned to help reduce the impacts.
