What are sustainable sites?

Sustainable gardening (which is taken here to include sustainable landscapes, sustainable

landscape design, sustainable landscape architecture and sustainable sites) comprises a
disparate group of horticultural interests that share, to a greater or lesser extent, the aims and
objectives associated with the international post-198s sustainable development and
sustainabilit! programs developed to address the fact that humans are now using natural
bioph!sical resources faster than the! can be replenished b! nature" #ncluded within this compass
are those home gardeners, and members of the landscape and nurser! industries and municipal
authorities, that integrate environmental, social and economic factors in an attempt to create a
more sustainable future"
$rganic gardening and the use of native plants are integral to sustainable gardening"
What is Climate Change?
%limate change is a long-term shift in the statistics of the weather (including its averages)" &or
example, it could show up as a change in climate normal (expected average values for
temperature and precipitation) for a given place and time of !ear, from one decade to the next"
'e know that the global climate is currentl! changing" (he last decade of the )th %entur! and
the beginning of the )1st have been the warmest period in the entire global instrumental
temperature record, starting in the mid-19th centur!"
Why is the Climate Changing?
Natural variability
%limate change is a normal part of the *arth+s natural variabilit!, which is related to interactions
among the atmosphere, ocean, and land, as well as changes in the amount of solar radiation
reaching the earth" (he geologic record includes significant evidence for large-scale climate
changes in *arth+s past" ,n example of this variabilit! is shown in the plot below of temperature
data for the last -), !ears, derived from an ,ntarctic ice core"
Human-induced change
Greenhouse Gases
%ertain naturall! occurring gases, such as carbon dioxide (%$)) and water vapor (.)$), trap heat
in the atmosphere causing a greenhouse effect"
/urning of fossil fuels, like oil, coal, and natural gas is adding %$) to the atmosphere" (he
current level is the highest in the past 01, !ears" (he &ourth ,ssessment 2eport of the
#ntergovernmental 3anel on %limate %hange concludes, 4that most of the observed increase in
the globall! averaged temperature since the mid-)th centur! is ver! likel! due to the observed
increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations"5
What Is Global Warming?
Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and
oceans since the late 19th century and its projected continuation. Since the early
2th century! Earth's mean surface temperature has increased by about ." #$ %1.&
#'(! with about two)thirds of the increase occurring since 19".*2+ ,arming of the
climate system is une-uivocal! and scientists are more than 9. certain that it is
primarily caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by
human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.*/+*&+*0+*1+*2+
3hese 4ndings are recogni5ed by the national science academies of all major
industriali5ed nations.*"+*6+
3he term 7global warming7 refers to the increase in the average temperature of
global surface air and oceans since about 190! and to continuing increases in
those temperatures.
Global warming refers to the increased temperature of Earth's surface! including
land! water and near)surface air.
The Causes of Global Warming
Global warming is caused by e8cessive -uantities of greenhouse gases emitted into
Earth's near)surface atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are both man)made and occur
naturally! and include a number of gases! including9
:carbon dio8ide
:methane
:nitrous o8ide
:chloro;uorocarbons
Greenhouse Gases Generated by <an=ind
3he scienti4c community as a whole has concluded that naturally occurring
greenhouse gases have remained fairly constant over the past several hundred
years.
Greenhouse gases directly and indirectly generated by man=ind! though! have
increased radically for the past 10 years! and especially in the past 1 years.
<ajor sources of greenhouse gases generated by man=ind are9
:>urning of fossil fuels! which includes oil and gas! coal and natural gas.
:$hloro;uorocarbons! commonly used in refrigeration! cooling and manufacturing
applications.
:<ethane! which is caused by emissions from land4lls! livestoc=! rice farming %which
uses methane)emitting bacteria(! septic processes! and fertili5ers.
:?eforestation
@er Aainforests.com! 73he largest %manmade(contributor to the greenhouse eBect is
carbon dio8ide gas emissions! about 22 percent of which comes from the
combustion of fossil fuels and 22 percent of which is attributed to deforestation.7
Cehicles >urning 'ossil 'uels 6re @rimary Source
3he largest single contributer to the rise of man)made greenhouse gases is! of
course! the burning of oil and gas to power vehicles! machinery! and produce
energy and warmth.
3heDnion of $oncerned Scientists observed in 209
7<otor vehicles are responsible for almost a -uarter of annual D.S. emissions of
carbon dio8ide %$E2(! the primary global)warming gas. 3he D.S. transportation
sector emits more $E2 than all but three other countries' emissions from all sources
combined. 6nd motor vehicle emissions will continue to increase as more vehicles
hit 6merica's roads and the number of miles driven grows.
73hree factors contribute to $E2 emissions from cars and truc=s9
:6mount of fuel used
:6mount of $E2 released when a particular fuel is consumed
:Fumber of vehicle miles traveled.7
?eforestation Gs 6lso <ajor Source
>ut deforestation is also an important! if lesser =nown! culprit for causing
greenhouse gas emissions. 3he Dnited Fations 'ood H 6griculture Ergani5ation
%'6E( observed in 219
7<ost people assume that global warming is caused by burning oil and gas. >ut in
fact between 20 and / percent of the greenhouse gases released into the
atmosphere each year I 1.1 billion tonnes I is caused by deforestation...
73rees are 0 percent carbon. ,hen they are felled or burned! the $2 they store
escapes bac= into the air... ?eforestation remains high in 6frica! Jatin 6merica and
Southeast 6sia.7
6nd the situation is worsening! per Science Fews ?aily! which wrote in late 2"!
7?ecreasing forest cover! almost e8clusively from deforestation in tropical countries!
was responsible for an estimated 1.0 billion tons of emissions to the atmosphere
above what was gained through new plantings.7
Summary of 7$auses of Global ,arming7
Global warmming is cuased by greenhouse gases! which occur both naturally and
are directly and indirectly generated by man=ind.
,hile optimal amounts of greenhouse gases are necessary for Earth to be
habitable! a profusion of greenhouse gases create disturbances in weather and
storm patterns that can be catastropic.
<an)made greenhouse gases have increased greatly in the last 0 years. 6mong
the largest sources of man)made gases are fossil)fuel burning vehicles! worldwide
deforestation! and sources of methane such as sand4lls! septic systems! livestoc=!
and fertili5ers.
Global ,arming $auses
Global warming is primarily a problem of too much carbon dio8ide %$E2( in the
atmosphereKwhich acts as a blan=et! trapping heat and warming the planet. 6s we
burn fossil fuels li=e coal! oil and natural gas for energy or cut down and burn
forests to create pastures and plantations! carbon accumulates and overloads our
atmosphere. $ertain waste management and agricultural practices aggravate the
problem by releasing other potent global warming gases! such as methane and
nitrous o8ide. See the pie chart for a brea=down of heat)trapping global warming
emissions by economic sector.
Global ,arming Gs Drgent and $an >e 6ddressed
$E2 survives in the atmosphere for a long timeKup to many centuriesKso its heat)
trapping eBects are compounded over time. Ef the many heat)trapping gases! $E2
puts us at the greatest ris= of irreversible changes if it continues to accumulate
unabated in the atmosphereKas it is li=ely to do if the global economy remains
dependent on fossil fuels for its energy needs. 3o put this in perspective! the carbon
we put in the atmosphere today will literally determine not only our climate future
but that of future generations as well.
Substantial scienti4c evidence indicates that an increase in the global average
temperature of more than /.1 degrees 'ahrenheit %#'( %or 2 degrees $elsius *#$+(
above pre)industrial levels poses severe ris=s to natural systems and to human
health and well)being. 3he good news is that! because we as humans caused global
warming! we can also do something about it. 3o avoid this level of warming! large
emitters such as the Dnited States need to greatly reduce heat)trapping gas
emissions by mid century. ?elay in ta=ing such action means the prospect of much
steeper cuts later if there is any hope of staying below the /.1#' %2#$( temperature
goal. ?elayed action is also li=ely to ma=e it more diLcult and costly to not only
ma=e these reductions! but also address the climate conse-uences that occur in the
meantime.
3he $onse-uences of a ,arming ,orld
Ever the last century! global average temperature has increased by more than 1#'
%.2#$(. 3he 21)21 decade is the warmest since 1""Kthe earliest year for
which comprehensive global temperature records were available. Gn fact! nine of the
warmest years on record have occurred in just the last 1 years. 3his warming has
been accompanied by a decrease in very cold days and nights and an increase in
e8tremely hot days and warm nights. 3he continental Dnited States! for e8ample!
has seen record daily highs twice as often as record daily lows from 2 to 29.
,hile the record shows that some parts of the world are warming faster than others!
the long)term global upward trend is unambiguous.
Ef course! land and ocean temperature is only one way to measure the eBects of
climate change. 6 warming world also has the potential to change rainfall and snow
patterns! increase droughts and severe storms! reduce la=e ice cover! melt glaciers!
increase sea levels! and change plant and animal behavior.
Aegional 6ctions 6dd Dp to Global Solutions
,e encourage you to visit the solutions section of this web feature to 4nd out how
you can ta=e action to slow the pace of climate change and help minimi5e the
harmful conse-uences described in the hot spotsM
6ny action to reduce or eliminate the release of heat)trapping gases to the
atmosphere helps slow the rate of warming and! li=ely! the pace and severity of
change at any given hot spot. Jocal sources of carbon emissions vary from region to
region! suggesting that solutions are often decided at the community level. 3he
$limate Not <ap points to regional e8amples of climate)friendly energy!
transportation! or adaptation choices. Some regions! however! must rely upon
global solutions such as international agreements to reduce the carbon overload in
the atmosphere that threatens them. Small islands! for e8ample! are a paltry source
of carbon emissions and yet are disproportionately aBected by the conse-uences of
global carbon overload as accelerated sea level rise threatens the very e8istence of
low)lying islands.
Gndividual! regional! and national actions can all add up to global solutions! slowing
and eventually halting the upward climb of $E2 concentrations in the atmosphere.