CLIMATE CHANGE

The Garden Club of America (GCA) recognizes the threat of climate change and the urgent need for action at all levels of government, as well as individual behavioral change to mitigate this risk. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by 50% by 2030 to avoid global temperature increases greater than 2 degrees celsius (This is the threshold beyond which ecosystems and humans face catastrophic threats). The observed changes in the Earth’s climate are negatively impacting plants, animals, and human health. Rapid loss of biodiversity, species extinction, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, extreme weather events, and the health of public lands are at risk if we do not change course.

Because both individual actions and policy change are necessary to limit the severity of climate change, the GCA is committed to educating club members and communities about the causes of climate change and the impact it has on natural systems. The goal is to encourage constructive actions and support for legislation that will protect our environment, slow climate change, and mitigate its effects.

The Garden Club of America supports federal, state, and local legislation, policy, and individual action that addresses the following:

FUNDING

• Support funding measures to protect against climate-change-induced threats to biodiversity loss.
• Encourage scientific research and funding to advance innovation, testing and adoption of clean and renewable energy, with a near-term focus on wind and solar while other technologies develop and reach scale.
• Support funding for programs addressing the warming and acidification of our oceans which threaten our coral reefs and fish populations.
• Support increased public and private funding to address the increased incidence of plant disease, the spread of invasive species, and the disruption of relationships between plants and pollinators.

ADVOCACY

• Encourage collective action at all levels of society and legislation to address our changing climate and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reduce methane gas emissions from the oil, natural gas, and agricultural industries.
• Protect our forests and wilderness areas, including our National Parks, as these open lands sequester carbon, help ensure clean air, and protect watersheds.
• Promote the creation and protection of National Marine Sanctuaries, coastal wetlands, mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses, and other aquatic vegetation “blue carbon ecosystems” that efficiently sequester carbon and improve water quality.
• Reduce CO2 emissions by promoting clean and renewable energy sources for the construction, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.
• Support continued innovation in the development of clean and renewable energy systems, advanced battery storage, and a more robust and resilient grid to deliver this energy.
• Encourage initiatives to advance energy efficiency in both existing and proposed buildings, including the use of LED lighting, Energy STAR-rated appliances, LEED building standards and low carbon building materials.
• Encourage the adoption and support of sustainable farming that both sequesters carbon in the soil and is not dependent on synthetic agrochemicals that are a significant contribution to greenhouse gasses.
• Promote the responsible siting of solar and wind facilities, and mining operations for the minerals necessary to power a renewable grid, with thought given to preserving forests, wild lands and sensitive species.

ADAPTATION & MITIGATION

• Support climate adaptation strategies for human, animal, and plant communities.
• Encourage the increased use of native plants in public and private restoration projects along transportation corridors, including the use of green buffers and living shorelines.
• Encourage the production of adequate native plant material to meet this growing need.
• Support water management initiatives to ensure water quality, address flooding and sea-level rise, and manage drought.

EDUCATION

• Encourage ongoing educational efforts focused on the impacts of climate change, including changes in hardiness zones, phenology, migratory patterns, and crop yield.
• Promote sustainable landscape design and gardening practices that maximize the use of native plants.
• Promote the importance of locally-sourced food and the reduction of food waste, as well as the value of regenerative agriculture to soil health.
• Encourage engagement in advocacy to address these issues at local, state and national levels.