How on earth do we alter our garden planting to suit the changing climate? In the first summer of lockdown we had blazing hot weather from about April onwards. Last year I think we had 2 decent weeks all year, and enough rain last Autumn and through the winter to float a second Ark.
I suppose it might help to look at the problem from the point of view of a much larger scale.
Rather than think of one’s 50’x50’ plot it might be better to look at places such as the Amazon basin which is being denuded by thousands of square miles of trees and other invaluable plants, often by organised crime.
If we can each do our best to not contribute to the resulting climate change in places such as that our own gardens might be able to cope better in the long run.
Looking at one’s own responsibility for the mess we are in is the only practical way to help matters.
When St Peter stands before us at the pearly gates the most we can hope to say is “I did my honest best”.
There are far too many planes flying all over the place IMO 🤔
Tell Taylor Swift that. Apparently she used her private jet to fly 28 miles! At least commercial airliners are carrying lots of people at once.
I refuse to feel guilty about going abroad on holiday once or twice a year.
What on earth has Taylor Swift to do with anything?
Arch Whataboutery. And "not my problem".
"What exactly is ‘whataboutery’? Well, it’s a way of responding to a
difficult subject or accusation by making a counter-accusation. Or it’s
when a difficult subject is being discussed and someone raises a
different subject to divert attention... To gain authority, or to make themselves feel better, people feel they have to whatabout the difficult subject... The thing is, we need to talk about these subjects and not deflect and change the subject."
Taylor Swift has a carbon footprint worse than 1000 Americans but to be fair her music has probably caused 1000s of suicides and that counts as carbon offsetting.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
"It's only climate modelling" is a pretty standard shrug reponse in the playbook of people who aren't very fussed and plan to make no changes to their own lives.
I'm not denying that climate change is happening, I'm questioning what degree of change (pardon the pun) is happening. At the opposite ends of the spectrum and the 'woe, woe and thrice woe' merchants claiming we're all doomed, and the 'nah, nothing to worry about, just enjoy the warm summers' brigade. The impact individuals can make is infinitesimably small but that doesn' mean that if most made an effort it would have no effect. However, the reality is that unless countries such as the USA, China and India make massive changes very quickly, whatever is happening isn't going to reduce in effect. Are those countries going to damage their own economies? Answers on a postcard.
I know what you mean. I think it is worth doing what we can as individuals, and en masse via groups of different sorts. Would you agree with that? Not trying to make you feel guilty!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
As someone permanently wanting to move from my current house, future climate change gives me great pause in thinking about where I would go.
I think my current plant selection is pretty tough; much would survive down to -15C and if not, I would change it, maybe go non-"ornamental" all together. I currently live on a hill and am sheltered, not in immediate danger of flooding from rivers or sea levels rising (I chose said house in this spot, part for those reasons) but I am in the Thames Basin, so, who knows. I can imagine solid wood fencing could well become an expensive liability if regular big storms here become a thing. I follow east coast Canadian gardeners and would take their lead in what willl do well with cold winters.
I think it's good to take none of what we have for granted. Don't look away. Don't assume technologists will fix it. And, yes, AMOC collapse is a complicated business, but that is no reason to dismiss it as worthy of close investigation.
Good idea re looking at what east coast Canadian gardeners are doing!
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
Posts
Rather than think of one’s 50’x50’ plot it might be better to look at places such as the Amazon basin which is being denuded by thousands of square miles of trees and other invaluable plants, often by organised crime.
If we can each do our best to not contribute to the resulting climate change in places such as that our own gardens might be able to cope better in the long run.
Looking at one’s own responsibility for the mess we are in is the only practical way to help matters.
When St Peter stands before us at the pearly gates the most we can hope to say is “I did my honest best”.
https://www.watchthisspace.uk/what-do-we-do-about-all-this-whataboutery/