Facing the reality of the situation is the first step.
Your suggestions are welcome.

https://www.climatecentral.org...

10 things we can do about climate change

https://davidsuzuki.org/what-y...

@janwax If I recall correctly, there used to be a "hole" in the ozone layer, near the south pole, anyways... So, we reduced the use of fluorocarbon gasses, in spray cans. I have no idea, what sending off large space rockets, does to the atmosphere. Satellites get sent up & the space station needs ( requires) to be regularly resupplied, .( We definitely don't need more "accidents" like that at Wallops Island, where the "re-supplying rocket explodes & fuel goes everywhere ! )

But, just as with Nuclear (& all that "testing") the accidents are usually attributed to "human error." & then there are those accidents, that can be natural disasters, such as at 'Fukushima.., but what do we do with all that "waste", after use up -(spent- ) at the power plant? Dump it deep underground, somewhere ( safe?) ???...

Apart from that, we are not only sending off rockets to Mars, no less., but want "nearly outer space" travel, too.. When does that all stop? The older ways requires , tremendous amounts of fuel, just for lift off & all that testing which was done.. & going to the moon & then learning from all the Space Shuttle trips... Does that put holes, in our outer atmosphere, upon getting into orbit , plus re-entry, every time ? Mostly all of it is :, "whatever goes up , must come down.."
Yes, farming & trucking is a big fuel expense, ( reason why railways are still in use.) not mention... all the travel to & from work., - due to the suburbs-..not just air travel for vacations, but work. Even Congress flies in & out of D.C. each week... It all adds up.
We do need to move towards reduced dependency on fossil fuels, plastics & use of similar synthetics ( While increasing our use of "renewable" or solar , wind & water (derived energy)
It will take huge investment & ought to have incentives (apart from selling excess power back to the Electric companies) & to be affordable too. Not just a "return", on a homeowners initial investment after over ten years time...

Thanks for your response, Shawn. You bring up a lot of good points.

I've been reading a book, The End of Ice by Dair Jamail, who has devoted his life to the study of the world's glaciers. They're rapidly melting, adding to climate and environmental change. It's affected me. I hope we're not too late to turn this all around, for humans have caused it. For the irises and ourselves.
I agree that it will take a huge investment in time and money and major reduction
in the use of fossil fuels and plastics. The huge gyre of plastic trash in the ocean, miles wide, in the bellies of fish and turtles makes me weep.

I don't drive any more - my husband still does, when necessary. There's a senior bus service that I'm going to look into. I've reduced my meat intake by more than 90% - my husband is working on that one. We recycle, have an organic garden and try not to add any more toxins to the earth.
In past years I've always looked forward to summer...now I dread the rise in heat and the return of wildfires to California.
I've added this thread to see if there are some here who feel the need to protect this precious earth, as I do - for gardeners are close to the earth.
I've kept from getting political here - but I'm paying a lot of attention to what candidates for political office are saying about climate change...if anything.

@janwax I understand, while trying to avoid the topic of the "next candidates" that are more earth friendly conscious & forward thinking about energy infrastructure, while highways/ bridges need repairs & the electric grid & so on... Remember when Carter, had solar panels on top the White House & then it was removed ? WE started going backwards ! Even if that solar panel was outdated, why wasn't newer technology used, to replace it, with updated panels?
Yes, I know about Tesla autos ( a cousins' husband has one already)- Far more expensive, beyond most average consumers ability.) & hybrid electric cars - I asked my niece if she was going to "start it up ?" ( & the motor was already running . lol)

I think part of it, is the "ice age" has been on its way out, for the past 10,000 years. Meanwhile, the population has increased exponentially to how may now people on this planet, now? Geez & if we have unpredictable precipitation & disastrous weather events, how can we reliably produce food crops to fulfill the planets need to feed all the ever increasing number of people, living on it? The oceans are over harvested already, so its "aquaculture" now...Yeah & the plastic micro particles end up digested, not just by fish, but people...Human beings.
I recall the days, when fires in California, were actually caused by , none other than, people - deliberately! I have no idea how that PG & E situation is going to turn out.

We are trying to do our part in our little corner of the world by:
-we grow most of our food
-we throw out zero leftovers
-we eat very little meat, our protein comes mainly from eggs, nuts, and beans
-we support local farmer stands
-we use pure local honey as a sweetener, no sugar in our home
-we spend most of our time enjoying nature on our small farm
-we compost everything and use it to top dress all our beds
-our fertilizer is goat, mule, and chicken manure
-we use up everything until there is no life left in it before replacing it
-we wash everything in cold water
-we use a very efficient wood stove to heat our home, and we selectively cut our own wood
-AC is rarely used, we have screens in all windows
-we keep lights turned off unless in that room
-we updated all light bulbs
-we wish we could do more...…..

hippie!!

That's a fantastic list,

janwax said: hippie!!

That's a fantastic list,

thanks Jan, we also keep our hot water tank on the lowest setting

There is much to be learned by studying trees, such as the pine trees in the National Forest in California. It helps one to understand the natural ecosystems & how things occur naturally. Living near both coasts of the U.S has helped me to actually see erosion to occur. That is just a very small part, of what goes on, in the natural world..
Hopefully, the younger generation takes more responsibility, for what goes on in the future. They are becoming more aware of how things have changed, since their parents generation & that is a good sign, of them taking better care of the planet we all live on, & share together..

Hate. Climate change. Lets go back to living,Amish

A lot of folks have stopped using their wood-burning stoves around here because of the pollution they cause.. We used to burn 24-7, and used that as our main source of heat... After years of dealing with it, I just got burned out (pun intended)..

After hurricane damage at an Airbase in FLA. it is being suggested the air group be moved near here at Langley A.F.B ( as it is "underutilized") Well, those jets tend to not only just make loud noise, but leave a black carbon residue, most noticeable on a clean white car !

Just saw a tv ad 4ocean.com this A.M. & if you buy one bracelet, ( made by recycling) they claim they will collect a pound of plastic trash from the beaches. Started by surfers...

Here, locally we have the Chesapeake Bay Foundation ( cbf.org) & they do annual organized clean up ( by volunteers) of all the trash left behind, from going down the numerous waterways, wetlands & beaches, out the Bay & into the Ocean. It helps rid the area of massive amounts of trash & plastics ( before ending back into the Atlantic Ocean. As even Endangered sea turtles will eat plastic baggies in the Oceans, as they appear to be "jellyfish" to their eyes.

What can we do about climate change? Anything and everything! I have not posted to this thread because the attitude towards this topic raises my blood pressure. People on this forum say "gardeners are all concerned about the earth and do our bit". I disagree. I have been the speaker at many gardening functions and so many of my listeners have the attitude of 'what difference can one person make'.

1. Gardeners do not get their soil tested and then over fertilize with chemical fertilizers and pollute the waterways killing natural fish and plants. Call your extension office and get your soil tested. Use compost and natural fertilizers. If your soil pH is out of balance your plants cannot 'eat' what you feed them even if they are in dire need of it. The nutrients are 'locked' by the pH imbalance. Natural is ALWAYS prefered over chemical.

2. Gardeners keep pouring water on a patch of grass in an area where grass is not supposed to grow. Look around at what grows naturally in your area. Plant only trees, shrubs and flowers (heritage plants) that thrive in the growing conditions your garden provides naturally. These plants have evolved to deal with the climate and predators in their natural area.

3. Gardeners fight weeds and insects with chemicals constantly. Share your garden with nature. A totally weedless garden is not natural. A vendor may have to keep their gardens free of weeds but it is not natural. Use a ground cover where you can to discourage unwanted growth, or a hand held garden torch to kill them. As for insects I only use chemicals on fire ants and I do not broadcast it. Insects natural to this area are beneficial to this area. If I cannot tolerate them I will pick them off and squish, use a strong water spray on them or plant enough to share with them.

4. Gardeners see an iris rhizome with an infected wound and reach for the bleach although other methods have been given. Dig the rhizome, cut the diseased spot out and leave the rhizome out of the ground for several dry days before replanting it so that the wound will callous over. The bacteria that causes rhizome rot lives in all regions in the soil. Pouring bleach on the soil may kill the bacteria in that little spot but it also kills the good fungi. Read about mycorrhizae. It is a fungus which grows in association with the roots of a plant in a symbiotic relationship. A fungus which, in many cases, eats the chemical fertilizer you pour on your garden changing it to nutrients and feeding the roots of your plants. Without mycorrhizae many plants would suffer and some would completely die out.

5. Compost! Do not discard to a land fill something that can be a valuable asset to your garden. Don't have a huge composter? Use a coffee can to gather rinds and egg shells in. Bury them weekly in the garden or make a wire bin lined with leaves and layer them every few days alternating with more leaves. This creates black gold. Everyone can do this.

Am I preachy.... you bet your bloomers I am! I just read in another thread that talk of climate change has nothing to do with little irises. Become informed. Gardeners should know of the relationship our one lovely little plant has with the earth and everything therein. Find out what you can do. If everyone does one thing we can make a difference. Thinking that you cannot do anything will result in nothing getting done to better this situation. We are stewards of this earth and are going to be held responsible for the mess we are making. We are all different in tastes and methods of gardening but we should all be a responsible gardener.

Change is inevitable. Nothing is static. Everything on this earth is in a constant state of growing or dying. I, for one, will seriously try to not hasten the change.

If I have offended anyone with this post, well, that is sad and certainly not my intention.

Have a lovely day and begin a new hobby.... 'stewardship'. Practice it and teach it to a young person.

I always wondered why so many formerly "bottled" or "glass jar" products are now in plastics... Not to fail mentioning the amount of styrofoam & plastic cups plates, etc... that are still used today & just disposed of. Yes, some can be recycled & others can't, due to the poor quality. I can't stand the thought, of even drinking soda, out of plastic, much less "bottled" water, which is in what else, more often than not, but plastic..I don't think China even really wants our cardboard anymore, unless it meets quality standards & huge auto industries building cars, with so much plastic?

Bonnie - you get the Pulitzer for that post! You so eloquently expressed exactly what I feel.
The message is that we all have to wake up to what is happening. I'm constantly having to re-think choices I've made. Will this hurt what lives here? It's about loving the planet, loving the earth. You wouldn't poison someone, some person that you love.
Thank you Bonnie.

Thank you, Shawn, for your thoughtful and informative posts!

The one thing I have noticed, over the years of mail order gardening, is that the gardeners & others complained about those styrofoam packing "peanuts". Well guess what changed ? Many of them started to change course & use a biodegradable substitute instead, & most probably didn't even notice it.

I noticed Shawn. And I am happy to say I was one of the complainers. That is something else we can all do. Use our voices and back up our thoughts with our pocketbook. I applaud the companies that hear us and make an take steps to join our efforts.

Sherry, your post about using wood for heat, made me think. Sometimes there are no good choices for keeping oneself warm. Gas, oil or wood - all have drawbacks. My hope is that some day we'll be able to afford solar panels, and an electric car that gets charged by the solar panels, which would also keep us warm. We can think this way because sunny CA (rainy today) has a benign climate with not a lot of freezing in my neighborhood. Because we live on forested land, with lots of cyclic change and harvestable downed wood, we've depended on our trusty Vermont Castings stove for 33 years, Never has let us down!! Of course, if my husband wasn't in the picture, I'd be more dependent on our electric space heaters. The wood must be cut, split, stacked, carried in to feed the stove, and the ashes cleaned out once or twice a week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?... (the music's intrusive)
https://www.usatoday.com/story...

Why couldn't our government clean this up, and enlist the help of other governments who
contribute to this trash? It kills sealife. I hope some of the presidential nominees address this human-caused mess.