What is Climate Change?
According to the United Nations, “climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Among these gases, carbon dioxide and methane are the largest contributors …
These come from fossil fuel combustion, eg., using gasoline to drive a car or coal to heat a building. Clearing land and forests can also release carbon dioxide. Landfills for garbage are a major source of methane emissions. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, and land use are among the main emitters.” (United Nations, n.d.).
In addition, the Nature Conservancy of Canada states that “climate change is a major threat to wildlife and ecosystems in Canada and around the world. Limiting the amount of warming and adapting to the negative impacts of climate change are critical, not only to protect biodiversity but also to support human health and well-being” (Nature Conservancy Canada, n.d.).
But what’s the difference between climate change and global warming? The David Suzuki Foundation states that “although the terms “climate change” and “global warming” are often used interchangeably, some experts note a difference: global warming is the overall phenomenon whereby global average temperatures are slowly increasing. Climate change is the result of global warming. That is, as global temperatures increase, climatic conditions change in various ways” (David Suzuki Foundation, 2023).
Video credit: What is Climate Change? (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2021)
Video credit: Friendly Guide to Climate Change – and what you can do to help #everytoncounts (Kniberg, 2017)
How to Talk about Climate Change
So, we know that climate change is an ongoing phenomenon, and it is primarily caused by the decisions humans make. This includes the choices we make regarding horticulture practices used in landscape construction and maintenance. The first step in facing the challenging consequences of climate change is to inform ourselves and select adaptive and mitigative strategies to apply in our daily horticulture work—and that starts here, with you! Another essential task is communicating greener and more sustainable landscape construction and maintenance practices to students and clients.
So, how can we navigate through challenging conversations about climate change and bring the reality of climate change into classrooms? Equally important, how can we prepare students for conversations with employers, suppliers, or customers about the impacts of climate change?
The David Sukui Foundation recommends nine (9) essential resources for climate change conversations. This module includes two examples from the David Suzuki Foundation’s resources on how to talk about climate change; however, a full list of resources on how and