My Climate Change Garden » Canadian Climate Change

Weather, Climate control and Water companies

Debbie — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:23:20 +0000

Just read some alternative definitions of these words that resonated and amused.

Thought I would share them with you:

Weather Forecasting

The science of telling, with 70% accuracy, what the weather has just been

Climate Control

An essential decrease in consumerism to avoid climatic catastrophe

Water Companies

A business that sells back the rain that falls on you.

What is green investment?

Debbie — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:58:43 +0000

More money is said to be flowing in to green technology than ever before: a new global record of $243 billion was reported for 2010.

To go about making sense of these figures, the term “green investment” has to first be defined: Is it capital invested in protecting and restoring the environment at large, or is it aimed at mitigating GHG emissions? Is green investment the use of well-proven technologies and accountable processes, such as sanitation, waste treatment or hydropower generation? Is the investment directed at new technology development and demonstration only, or does it encompass new technology deployment?

The Guardian has published the answers to these searching questions:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/what-is-green-investment?CMP=twt_gu

How will your garden grow in 2050?

Debbie — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:01:53 +0000

One of the most confusing things for gardeners about climate change is the uncertainty of what is actually going to happen with the weather.

The biggest challenge likely to face gardeners everywhere is water management as rainfall is likely to fall by around one fifth by the middle of the century, leading to an increased risk of summer droughts. Conversely winter rainfall is likely to increase by around 15%.

The Met Office reveal that the only certainity is that things are going to change dramatically over the next 50 years.http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2009/gardening

Sir David Attenborough reflects on climate change

Debbie — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:18:03 +0000

Sir David Attenborough has used his skill as a broadcaster to clearly show some key facts about climate change in this short video.

It may not contain all the evidence of his usual hour long documentaies but the fact that such a great man has put his name to this piece of film on You Tube suggests to me that he wants to make sure we understand what is going on with the climate.

Do let me know your thoughts on this video by posting a comment or via hello@globalgardening.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9ob9WdbXx0&feature=related

Economists sprout green fingers

Debbie — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:04:57 +0000

Economists are having a tough time at the moment trying to make sense of the turmoil in the financial markets and the worldwide economic mess we seem to be in.

Gardening is a great antedote to stress – anyone feeling the financial strain might like to get their hands dirty and connect to their roots – or just read this article which appeared in The Economist magazine for inspiration. It captures everything I say about gardening in a changing climate. In particular, it confirms that water conservation and new planting schemes are key to the survival of our gardens in the future.

GARDENS are more than just yard decorations for the green-thumbed: they

also express a worldview. As concern over climate change grows,

environmentally sensitive gardens are becoming more popular. Many

gardeners try to conserve water and avoid the use of pesticides,

preferring instead biological controls, manual removal and companion

planting, in which certain plants are grown next to each other to protect

both from pests or diseases. Commendable as these measures are, they are

only a beginning.

Gardens need not change in the way that a natural ecosystem must in

response to climate change. With humans around to pluck out unwanted weeds

and provide nutrition, garden plants are cosseted, and thrive in

non-optimum conditions, because they are not subject to the struggle for

existence that plants in the wild are.

Still, gardens of the future are likely to change for two reasons. First,

warmer weather will transform the gardener’s palette (the olive tree and

the potted citrus, for instance, will continue their northward invasion

via the middle-class gardens of Europe). And secondly, gardeners may

realise that they can be greener by changing what they grow.

Horticultural fashions change constantly. The 1950s British cottage garden

features delphiniums, rhododendrons, foxgloves, lupins and azaleas. The

modern gardener—concerned as she is with “structure”, “texture” and

“form”—might sneer at such gauche displays of showy flowers. Out go the

daffodils and ox-eye daisies, and in come tree ferns, cycads, bamboo,

ornamental grasses and Japanese maple. But what else will change?

Broadly, gardens in the northern hemisphere will be uprooted and moved

southwards, horticulturally speaking. In places that are currently hotter

and drier, such as Spain and parts of the Mediterranean, gardeners will

come to appreciate the charms of cacti and succulents.

In drier but more temperate places, it might be time to rethink the lawn.

Grass is thirsty. On the Royal Horticultural Society’s website, Richard

Bisgrove, a senior lecturer in landscape management at the University of

Reading, suggests planting little thickets of drought-resistant plants in

gravel. Chamomile likes hot, dry soil and smells great—it could make a

lovely lawn in low-traffic areas.

Gardeners will also have to ask themselves whether the plants, fruits and

vegetables they are growing remain appropriate—growing, say, tomatoes in

water-stressed areas of the world is not exactly green. Figs might be

better.

Similarly, one might also consider how environmentally friendly it is to

buy new annual-bedding plants each year from the garden centre, rather

than growing them from seed. More radical still might be to wave a

permanent goodbye to the tiresomely-thirsty pansy, and say hello to the

more resilient geranium.

In America’s hurricane corridor, offering gardening advice seems somewhat

beside the point. But elsewhere, more extremes of rainfall (a lot all of a

sudden, then none for a long time) are to be expected.

Earlier this year, The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the

University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit, looked at what a

British garden might look at in 2050. Intense rainfall, it warned, leads

to nutrients being more easily washed out. Gardeners will need to respond

by digging in organic matter and mulching.

Tyndall’s entry in this year’s the Chelsea Flower Show shunned the use of

concrete, which is impermeable to rainwater and contributes to flooding

(because water runs off so quickly). The Tyndall garden has a path made

from an innovative porous material made from recycled Cornish china-clay

waste.

Gardens in a warmer climate will also find they have longer growing

seasons and fewer frosts. That may be good for the geraniums, but some

plants and trees—apples, pears, plums, rhubarb and raspberries—need cold

spells to stimulate flowering and fruiting. Pine and beech trees need cold

to start forming leaves.

Milder winters and warmer summers also mean more pests; aphids, spider

mites and thrips will all increase. Insects from elsewhere are also likely

to present new problems for gardeners. On the other hand, new pests will

also bring their predators. In the garden as elsewhere, a changing climate

present threats and opportunities, particularly for the green-minded and

green-thumbed.

Global Pick Your Own

Debbie — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:32:47 +0000

If you just don’t have the time or inclination to grow your own fruit and veg, do visit this amazing site which lists hundreds of Pick your Own sites in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

This is a great way to know where your food is coming from with out the back breaking effort of digging your own plot or veg patch.

http://www.pickyourown.org/

Toronto food production and allotments

Debbie — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:55:25 +0000

The city of Toronto has looked at the carbon and environmental impact of food and food systems
and finds that 30-40% of its carbon footprint comes in one way or another from food related activities: transportation, energy growing, retailing.

Growing 10% of the vegetables in the city would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37.9 kilotonnes a year, help meet Toronto’s commitments to reduce global warming, and avoid more than $5 million in environmental costs. Growing your own food involves caring for the soil, composting, and growing plants from seeds, it reduces transportation, packaging and waste, the energy input is mainly from the sun and from the gardener’s physical labour. In addition allotments provide a space where the local community can share knowledge as well as plants and produce.

http://www.toronto.ca/food_hunger/pdf/food_charter.pdf

The Weather Makers

Debbie — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:52:39 +0000

UK is certainly getting its share of weird weather this summer after the amazing spring heatwave. Unpredictable weather patterns bringing drought, floods and storms to countries across the world are predicted to become the norm as the planet warms. I have always found the confusing facts and evidence hard to work through but would recommend this excellent book by Australian Tim Flannery if you are looking for a potted history of climate change and realistic predictions for the future. It was first published in 2007 and probably needs updating but despite this, it is certainly the easiest and best laid out book I have read on climate change.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+weathermakers&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=5796978296&ref=pd_sl_1sc4bq105m_b

Plant trees wherever you live

Debbie — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 05:27:50 +0000

Trees are vital to the future of our planet as they soak up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/26/trees-to-combat-climate-change

Wherever you live in the world please think about where you can plant more trees – they are beautiful and easy to look after as long as you choose the right tree for the right soil and position.http://www.treecanada.ca/publications/guide.htm

Use these sites to find out more and make your selections:

http://www.tree-shop.co.uk/

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/

http://www.treetrader.co.uk/

Top ten climate change apps

Debbie — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:20:14 +0000

Ten ways to keep in touch with the changing climate on your mobile

http://www.greenchipstocks.com/articles/top-10-climate-change-apps/1222