Climate-Conscious Gardening
To quote David W. Wolfe, Professor of Plant & Soil Ecology at Cornell University,
“We are in the unfortunate situation of being the first generation of gardeners, ever, who cannot rely on historical weather records to tell us what our climate is, or what to expect in the future.”
Join Master Gardeners in the Arlington/Alexandria unit of Virginia Cooperative Extension in a series of monthly articles in 2021 as we explore the topic of climate change and practical actions individuals can take in their home landscapes in response. This month, we’ll present an overview.
By Elaine Mills, Extension Master Gardener
The climate change we are experiencing now is the result of global warming that occurs when the heat-trapping effect of naturally occurring gases in the atmosphere is intensified by various human activities. The most abundant of these so-called “greenhouse gases” is carbon dioxide (CO₂) that results from the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) and deforestation. Although less abundant, nitrous oxide (N₂O) produced during fertilizer application, fossil fuel and biomass combustion, and industrial processes is 300 times more potent and can remain in the atmosphere for 100 years. Also of concern is methane (CH₄) that is released from fossil fuel production, agriculture, and landfills. A fourth unstable, toxic gas is ground level ozone (O₃) which is produced by the interaction of nitrous oxides with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from such products as paints, solvents, aerosol sprays, building materials, and office equipment. Continue reading
