Climate change is having increasingly severe consequences around the world, and the need to take action is becoming more urgent.
The good news is that solutions exist - and many are already working.
From transitioning to clean energy to helping communities adapt to changes already underway, we have the knowledge and technology needed to tackle climate change. What we do in the next few years will determine what kind of world today's 2.4 billion children inherit.
In this article, we explore proven solutions to combat climate change and help mitigate its effects for current and future generations.
Updated in January 2026
Two Approaches: Mitigation and Adaptation
Climate action operates on two tracks:
Mitigation means reducing greenhouse gas emissions to slow down climate change. This includes switching to renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and protecting forests. The goal is to prevent the problem from getting worse.
Adaptation means adjusting to the climate changes already happening and preparing for future impacts. This includes building flood defences, developing drought-resistant crops and creating early warning systems for extreme weather. The goal is to protect people and communities from climate impacts we can't prevent.
Both approaches are essential. While we work to reduce emissions and limit future warming, we must also help communities - particularly the most vulnerable - cope with the changes already affecting their lives.
A portrait of Atika, 12, at her family’s farm in drought-affected East Sumba, Indonesia.
Transitioning to Renewable Energy
Replacing fossil fuels with clean energy is the single most important solution to climate change. The transition is already underway and accelerating faster than many predicted.
Solar Power
Solar energy has become remarkably affordable and efficient. In 2024, global solar capacity grew by a record-breaking amount, with solar accounting for over half of all new renewable energy additions worldwide. Solar photovoltaic panels now generate electricity even on cloudy days, making them practical across diverse climates.
In the UK, solar power has experienced explosive growth. Solar generation increased by 33% in 2024, contributing 18 TWh of electricity - up from just 4 TWh the previous year. During peak summer hours in July 2024, solar panels supplied up to 40% of the UK's electricity demand, demonstrating how rapidly this technology is scaling.
The expansion includes both massive solar farms and distributed rooftop installations. In 2024 alone, 250,000 small-scale solar systems were installed across the UK, with over 1.6 million homes now equipped with solar panels.
Wind Power
Wind energy is now the UK's largest single source of electricity. In 2024, wind power provided 30% of the UK's electricity - more than any other source including gas - generating 85 TWh of clean power. This marks a historic milestone in the country's energy transformation.
Offshore wind has driven much of this growth. The UK benefits from some of the world's best wind resources, with major projects like Dogger Bank significantly boosting capacity. Between 2015 and 2024, offshore wind's contribution increased from 43% to 58% of total wind generation.
Globally, wind capacity additions are projected to increase 45% between 2025-2030 compared to the previous period, with cumulative onshore wind additions reaching 732 GW over that timeframe.
Hydropower
Hydropower remains a crucial renewable energy source, particularly for providing consistent baseload power. While growth rates have slowed in developed nations, hydropower capacity is expanding in countries like Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal and Tanzania. Globally, hydropower capacity reached 1,283 GW in 2024.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Using energy more efficiently reduces emissions while saving money. Improvements span from individual homes to entire industrial systems.
Insulating Homes and Installing Heat Pumps
Better insulation dramatically reduces energy needed for heating and cooling. Heat pumps - which move heat rather than generate it - can be three to four times more efficient than traditional gas boilers.
Efficiently Designed Buildings
New buildings can be designed to minimise energy use through proper orientation, natural ventilation, high-performance windows and integrated renewable energy systems. The UK's Future Homes Standard will favour low-carbon technologies, with new homes increasingly built without gas connections.
Smart Grids and Efficiency Standards
Smart electricity grids balance supply and demand in real-time, integrating variable renewable energy more effectively. Energy efficiency standards for appliances, vehicles and industrial equipment drive continuous improvements in how efficiently we use energy.
Every morning, 12-year-old Ratana sets off from her home on Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake by boat. She’s heading for a floating school supported by Save the Children – but she’s got a vital job to do before she gets there. As she rows she picks up friends along the way – and together they work to clear the rubbish that litters the lake. It is children like Ratana and her friends that are this fishing community’s best hope of saving their lake and livelihood. It is her generation that is leading the fightback against climate change across the world.
At first glance, Junior is just a teenager - a funny, confident, charismatic one. But there’s way too much on Junior’s shoulders. His community in the Solomon Islands is one of the most vulnerable in the world to climate change. That’s why Save the Children is helping young people in the Solomon Islands adapt for challenging times ahead. We’re running training sessions on climate-resilient farming, soil management, and educating communities about which crops will grow best in extreme weather.
Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry
How we use land profoundly affects both emissions and our ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative farming practices improve soil health, increase carbon storage and make farms more resilient to climate impacts. Techniques include crop rotation, cover crops, reduced tillage and integrating livestock with crop production. These methods can simultaneously reduce emissions, improve yields and build resilience against droughts and floods.
Afforestation and Reforestation
Planting new forests and restoring degraded ones creates carbon sinks while providing numerous co-benefits including biodiversity protection, watershed protection and sustainable livelihoods. However, protecting existing forests is equally crucial - deforestation currently releases vast amounts of stored carbon. In 2024, tropical forests lost 6.7 million hectares, an area nearly the size of Panama disappearing at 18 football fields per minute.
Agroforestry
Integrating trees into farming systems provides shade, improves soil, offers additional income sources through timber or fruit and stores carbon. This approach is particularly valuable in tropical and subtropical regions where it can boost food security while addressing climate change.
Using More Responsible Means of Transportation
Transport accounts for a substantial portion of emissions. Solutions focus on electrification, efficiency improvements and mode shifting.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly gaining market share. In the UK, EVs are starting to have a measurable impact on transport emissions, contributing to emission reductions observed in 2024. The UK government has committed to ending new petrol car sales by 2030 - five years earlier than the EU.
Investing in public transport, cycling infrastructure and pedestrian-friendly urban design reduces reliance on private vehicles. High-speed rail offers lower-emission alternatives to short-haul flights.
Everything is connected. No one knows that better than Alison, a mother of six from Malaita in the Solomon Islands. Her country – made up of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific – is a microcosm for climate change.
Reducing Meat and Dairy Consumption
Livestock farming, particularly cattle, generates significant greenhouse gas emissions.
Shifting toward more plant-based diets can substantially reduce an individual's carbon footprint. This doesn't require everyone to become vegetarian - even reducing meat consumption and choosing lower-impact options like chicken over beef makes a difference.
Carbon Pricing and Policy Solutions
Putting a price on carbon emissions - through carbon taxes or cap-and-trade systems - creates economic incentives for businesses and individuals to reduce emissions. These policies can drive innovation while generating revenue that governments can invest in clean energy and climate adaptation.
The UK's carbon pricing mechanisms have successfully driven down power sector emissions. More broadly, government policies including renewable energy mandates, building codes and vehicle efficiency standards accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.
Circular Economy Approaches
A circular economy minimises waste by keeping materials in use as long as possible through reuse, repair, refurbishment and recycling.
This approach reduces emissions from extracting raw materials and manufacturing new products while creating economic opportunities.
Converting Waste Materials into Usable Energy
Rather than sending organic waste to landfills where it produces methane, waste-to-energy technologies can convert it into biogas for electricity and heating.
Proper waste management including composting and anaerobic digestion both reduces emissions and creates value from materials that would otherwise be wasted.
Climate Change Adaptation: Building Resilience
Even as we work to reduce emissions, communities worldwide - particularly those most vulnerable - are already experiencing climate impacts. Adaptation solutions help people cope with changes and build resilience.
Click on the red arrows to find out more.
Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness
Effective early warning systems for floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms save lives by giving communities time to prepare. Coupled with disaster preparedness planning, these systems help reduce damage and enable faster recovery.
Climate-Resilient Infrastructure
Building or retrofitting infrastructure to withstand climate impacts protects communities and ensures essential services continue during extreme weather. This includes flood defences, drought-resistant water systems and buildings designed to cope with extreme heat.
In 2024, Save the Children supported the construction of over 1,150 climate-resilient classrooms in nearly 230 schools in Mozambique - a country repeatedly hit by devastating cyclones. These classrooms protect children during extreme weather and ensure learning can continue even when disaster strikes.
Climate-Smart Agriculture
Farmers need support to adapt to changing conditions. Climate-smart agriculture includes drought-resistant crop varieties, improved water management, diversified cropping systems and soil conservation techniques. These approaches help communities continue feeding themselves despite changing rainfall patterns and increased temperatures.
Social Protection and Financial Inclusion
When climate disasters strike, families need immediate support to meet basic needs and recover their livelihoods. Social protection systems including emergency cash transfers, insurance schemes and savings programmes provide crucial safety nets. According to research, $100 billion would be saved every year responding to disasters if contingency planning, social protection and financial inclusion were improved.
Progress in the UK and Globally
Real progress is underway. In 2024, renewables accounted for 51% of the UK's electricity generation, surpassing fossil fuels for the first time. Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 50.4% since 1990, making the UK one of the leading economies in decarbonisation.
Globally, renewable energy capacity grew by a record-breaking 15.1% in 2024, with an additional 585 GW of power added worldwide.
The UK government has committed to achieving clean power by 2030 and reducing emissions by 81% from 1990 levels by 2035, with full net zero by 2050.
How Save the Children Helps Communities Adapt to the Impacts of the Climate Crisis
At Save the Children, we understand that while global solutions to climate change are essential, children in vulnerable communities can't wait. They're living with climate impacts right now. That's why we're working alongside communities to implement practical adaptation solutions that protect children today while building long-term resilience.
Our approach recognises that climate change and inequality are deeply interconnected. According to our Generation Hope report, which gathered insights from over 54,500 children in 41 countries, 774 million children worldwide are both living in poverty and at high risk of climate-related disasters. These children have done the least to cause climate change but are suffering its worst impacts.
Our programmes integrate multiple solutions tailored to local needs. In drought-affected areas, we're introducing solar-powered water systems that provide reliable clean water even when rainfall fails. We're training families in climate-resilient agriculture - teaching techniques that help them continue growing food despite changing weather patterns. We provide cash support that gives families flexibility to meet immediate needs while investing in their futures.
When disasters strike, we're there with emergency response, but we also focus on helping communities prepare before disaster hits. This includes establishing early warning systems, training community disaster response teams and ensuring schools and healthcare facilities can withstand extreme weather.
We're also advocating for systemic change. We're calling on governments and businesses to rapidly phase out fossil fuels, invest seriously in renewable energy and ensure the transition to a green economy is fair - particularly for the communities and children most affected by climate impacts. We're amplifying children's voices in climate decision-making because they have the right to shape the future they'll inherit.
The solutions to climate change exist. From renewable energy transforming how we power our lives to community-led adaptation protecting the most vulnerable, we have the tools we need. What's required now is the collective will to implement these solutions at the speed and scale this crisis demands - before more childhoods are lost to a problem children didn't create.
