If you are going to lean on a tree: beyond carbon-centric climate mitigation

Thesis

Anthropogenic climate change increases risks to social and ecological systems, necessitating mitigation measures. At present, mitigation is predominantly organised through the paradigm of net zero, with a concomitant metric of success being the quantity of carbon (and other greenhouse gases) reduced or sequestered. However, this metric may obscure the wider context in which a mitigation effort is situated. This thesis is interested in three examples of where this occurs: mitigation’s interactions with other climate interventions; ecological constraints and trade-offs; and socio-economic consequences. Thus, a novel typology is first presented, which situates mitigation activities within a broader system of climate risk management interventions, including adaptation measures and other mitigation efforts. This allows for the identification of feedback loops and potentially impactful interactions. Second, the extent to which current mitigation activities are well-situated within their host ecological system is assessed, by quantifying the extent to which forestation projects are sited in areas that would naturally be dominated by closed-canopy forest ecosystems. The results show that a majority are not, suggesting that carbon-centrism may be disconnecting mitigation from its ecological context. Finally, urban nature-based solutions in Johannesburg, South Africa, are evaluated relative to the wider socio-ecological context of the city. The findings indicate that the native grassland ecosystem could be as effective as the novel urban canopy at providing temperature and biodiversity benefits, although this may be more related to the location of the ecosystem. Nonetheless, the respective temperature benefits are particularly important since lower income households were found to correlate with higher heat outcomes. Altogether, these results demonstrate that a carbon-centric approach to mitigation may miss critical context that can inform how just, ecologically sound, and thus durable, mitigation interventions are. Awareness of the wider (socio-ecological) context is therefore essential for safe-guarding the efficacy of mitigation efforts over a decades-long transition to achieving our climate goals.

Authors: Hyslop, CA

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-dxkq1x998
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: climate mitigation; climate policy; net zero; biodiversity
• Subjects: Climate change mitigation; Biodiversity; Climate