We asked gardeners what they love about nature and how gardening can help combat the effects of climate change.
COLUMBIA, SC – April 22nd is Earth Day, an internationally observed effort demonstrating support for protecting the environment. To celebrate the 50th Earth Day in 2020, WLTX launched a new Facebook group called WLTX Gandy’s gardener and as of April 2021 there are more than 1,300 members.
More than a hobby, gardening is an opportunity to appreciate food and understand the role it plays in climate change.
This week, the World Meteorological Organization published its annual climate status, which summarizes the top environmental concerns from 2020. Last year was one of the three warmest ever recorded. Every decade since the 1980s has been the warmest in human history, and the past six years have been the hottest in our planet’s history. The full report detailing the effects of climate change on our oceans and food systems is available HERE.
April is an exciting time to garden. The plants I started seeding in March go into the ground and the winter plants are still producing. Cant wait to share what’s next! #Garden #GandysGarden #Nature
READ MORE: https://t.co/zgsvzDWKhd pic.twitter.com/055dZTHYZv
– Alex Calamia (@AlexCalamiaWx) April 19, 2021
RELATED: Gandy’s Garden at WLTX Celebrates Earth Day 50
The garden at WLTX was a place to educate people about climate change and to exchange delicious tips about what to eat. The Gandy’s Garden project began in 2014 with our now retired chief meteorologist Jim Gandy.
At the time, California was in a “mega-drought” and was experiencing the driest stretch in four years. More than a third of the vegetables grown in the United States come from California farms, as well as much of the country’s fruits and nuts. The effects of the drought were felt across the country, and research shows that climate change may worsen future drought conditions in California. Weather is expected to become a more unpredictable variable for farmers around the world.
Food insecurity is also expected to become more common in the future. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the number of people suffering from food insecurity has increased since 2014. In 2019, more than 9% of the world’s population was classified as “food insecure”. The number is defined by the organization as “an estimate of the percentage of a country’s population who have difficulty accessing enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life”. This is a swing in the wrong direction after decades of improving food availability. The organization says economic instability and climate change are to blame.
New research suggests a strong correlation between our global food system and our changing climate. Large-scale food production requires a lot of energy, which exacerbates climate change. In the meantime, climate changes could affect food production in unpredictable ways. A recent study by the FAO found that a third of all human greenhouse gas emissions come from food systems. Meat production requires so much energy that it is responsible for 14.5% of all human greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere each year.
Home gardening promotes healthier eating and better food relationships. You can join our WLTX Gandy’s Gardeners Facebook group and share your gardening photos, videos, and questions or knowledge with fellow gardeners in the South Carolina Midlands.
