Gardening in a Changing Climate ( MMU & RHS joint meeting)
LOCATION
John Dalton Building
Chester Street
Manchester
Greater Manchester
M1 5GD
United Kingdom
Gardens can come in many forms, from single containers to community gardens. They are multifunctional spaces, important for health and social wellbeing whilst also supporting the natural environment by helping to sustain wildlife. Gardens also provide important ecosystem services, such as mitigating urban flooding, urban cooling, building insulation, pollutant capture and carbon sequestration.
The global climate is changing rapidly due to greenhouse gas emissions, and we are already experiencing the consequences of this, including more frequent and intense rainfall events in combination with rising temperatures. These changes will continue to be compounded if current human activities relating to the burning of fossil fuels and land-use change continue.
In 2017, the Royal Horticultural Society launched the Gardening in a Changing Climate report which highlights how gardens are critical in helping society to adapt to climate change, but also to help mitigate any further change. For example, through the use of permeable surfaces to alleviate urban flooding or planting a diverse range of species to ensure a sufficient food source for pollinators.
With populations rising and housing development set to continue into the future, the role of gardens in delivering the health and environmental ecosystem services formerly fulfilled by the natural environment, such as flood mitigation and providing refuge for wildlife, will become increasingly important.
This event will be a unique opportunity to hear from scientists and practitioners across different sectors about gardens and climate change. We will learn how the climate is changing from experts at the Royal Meteorological Society, before leading scientists in field will explain why our gardening practices are so important. The session will include practical advice for gardeners, given by professional horticulturalists and community groups specialising in gardening for a changing climate.
Gardens can come in many forms, from single containers to community gardens. They are multifunctional spaces, important for health and social wellbeing whilst also supporting the natural environment by helping to sustain wildlife. Gardens also provide important ecosystem services, such as mitigating urban flooding, urban cooling, building insulation, pollutant capture and carbon sequestration.
The global climate is changing rapidly due to greenhouse gas emissions, and we are already experiencing the consequences of this, including more frequent and intense rainfall events in combination with rising temperatures. These changes will continue to be compounded if current human activities relating to the burning of fossil fuels and land-use change continue.
In 2017, the Royal Horticultural Society launched the Gardening in a Changing Climate report which highlights how gardens are critical in helping society to adapt to climate change, but also to help mitigate any further change. For example, through the use of permeable surfaces to alleviate urban flooding or planting a diverse range of species to ensure a sufficient food source for pollinators.
With populations rising and housing development set to continue into the future, the role of gardens in delivering the health and environmental ecosystem services formerly fulfilled by the natural environment, such as flood mitigation and providing refuge for wildlife, will become increasingly important.
This event will be a unique opportunity to hear from scientists and practitioners across different sectors about gardens and climate change. We will learn how the climate is changing from experts at the Royal Meteorological Society, before leading scientists in field will explain why our gardening practices are so important. The session will include practical advice for gardeners, given by professional horticulturalists and community groups specialising in gardening for a changing climate.