What we mean by global warming and the like
Climate change - what is that exactly?
What do we mean by global warming, global warming, global warming, climate protection, environmental protection and climate change?
In fact, climate fluctuations have always existed. These are natural and have significantly influenced our geological development. Ice ages and warm periods alternated and occasionally met at an optimum. For example, we had an optimum in the Viking Age, when they settled Greenland. Back then, Greenland was called 'grassland' and was actually green and ideal for intensive agriculture. But current global warming is more drastic than ever because humans play a crucial role. Never before has global warming progressed so quickly.
Necessity of climate protection
How does climate change come about?
But how does such climate change come about with constant global warming or climate warming (global warming), so that climate protection and environmental protection become necessary?
To do this, we should take a closer look at our planet. It consists of 70% water and 30% solid land mass. It is surrounded by a gaseous atmosphere. The most important gases are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane. As a rule, there is a balance here so that a large part of the reflected rays can pass through the atmosphere back into space. This creates a harmonious balance.
However, if climate-damaging gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are emitted to an increased extent, they are deposited in the atmosphere and the radiation reflected from the earth can no longer escape as usual. This creates a greenhouse effect and thus global warming.
In this photo you can see the gas layer of the atmosphere particularly well.
Global warming and what we need to change
How we humans influence the climate
The most important engine for our economy is fossil fuels. They determine the world market and the economic events of our global trade. The rise of former developing countries such as China and India means that even more fossil fuels are being consumed and therefore more carbon dioxide is being emitted. Since industrialization in 1850, carbon dioxide emissions have exploded.
What is often completely overlooked in the media is methane, which is approximately 17 times as harmful as carbon dioxide. Methane is released primarily through the ever-increasing consumption of animal foods and the associated agriculture. Slash-and-burn farming for new pastures releases additional carbon dioxide that was previously stored in tropical forests.
So the calculation is very simple! The more greenhouse gases are released, the less heat radiation from the sun can be dissipated and the earth continues to heat up. So it's a vicious circle. Poles and glaciers are melting. Melting permafrost in the Arctic is releasing additional stored methane, making the situation even worse. In addition, the seas are slowly heating up. The colder the water, the more likely it is to bind carbon dioxide. The more it warms, the more carbon dioxide is released.
Consequences and dangers of climate change
Why environmental protection is so important
Over the last 40 years, global air temperatures have risen by 0.7°C. At the same time, sea levels also rose between 10 and 25 cm. The goal of politics and science is to limit global warming to 2 °C. This scenario is considered just about controllable. Deserts will spread and life or agriculture will no longer be possible in warmer regions such as Africa. Poor countries, which simply cannot afford the special preparations for such natural disasters, will be hit particularly hard.
How can we act for sustainable environmental protection (climate protection) and stop climate warming (global warming)?
It is particularly important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our goal must be to produce our energy entirely from renewable sources. In addition, the available energy can be used more efficiently, especially through energy-saving devices. Last but not least, our diet also plays an important role. We should therefore greatly reduce the consumption of animal foods. In addition, food waste should be urgently avoided.
It is also important to buy locally for climate protection. Regional food has a much better energy balance and strengthens local medium-sized agriculture. This can also strengthen sustainable environmental protection in agriculture.
Concept against global warming
Why can't politics find a solution?
Why can't politicians find an agreement on a concept against constant climate warming (global warming) and for sustainable climate protection/environmental protection? So many climate summits since 1992 and no significant progress yet. Only the Kyoto Protocol held in 1997 brought a binding agreement, which has not been adhered to. This is primarily because developing countries want to catch up with the industrialized nations and are also undergoing an industrial revolution. Industrialized countries, on the other hand, see these statements as a distortion of competition and do not want to lose their technological and economic advantage. There is such a strong consensus on this that no agreement has yet been reached.
A look at the climate and our tree world
Our nature in climate change
As we have increasingly observed in recent years, the climate is changing faster than many calculations had predicted. It is particularly difficult to give detailed forecasts for the future. It is clear that one cannot simply say across the board that temperatures are simply rising. The effects of climate change vary greatly from region to region. As we have seen, the amount of rainfall remains the same. However, these tend to be concentrated in the winter months, where we have little use for the plant world. Heat waves in summer or spring with no rain for more than 12 weeks have occurred steadily in recent years. This creates a special challenge for our agriculture and, of course, for our flora in the wild, in the forest and in the cities.
It can also be observed that our winters are becoming significantly milder. An exception is April, which has become colder in recent years and has seen many frosty nights. This is an additional risk because many plants are already slowly starting to sprout over the mild winter and the fresh young shoots freeze off over the winter.
This phenomenon is a real problem, especially in fruit growing! The fruit blossom is increasingly suffering from frost damage and yields are falling. In addition, the individual plants on the orchards are disrupted in their natural development.
Our native tree world
How does climate change affect our tree world?
Drought stress leads to a weakened plant immune system. Previously little-known diseases are becoming more and more common. We would like to provide you with a brief description of some of them below.
Stigmina shoot dieback on the linden tree
Stigmina shoot dieback occurs mainly in urban green spaces, where soils are compacted and water is only stored to a limited extent. This drought stress promotes the disease. The fungus first attacks individual branches, whereupon the tree seals them off, which leads to the crown dying. Typical is the death of the upper crown followed by the lower branches. Linden tries to form a new crown through strong new growth, which leads to bush cover. Summer and winter linden trees are particularly affected. The disease is less common in forests. Site selection is crucial to avoid dry, sandy soils or compacted planting sites.
Sooty bark disease in Norway maple and sycamore maple
The disease primarily affects sycamore maples in dry, compacted soils. The fungus infects the cambium under the bark, but can be repelled if the tree is provided with sufficient water. Under drought stress, the infection spreads, causing the bark to burst and releasing harmful black fungal spores. At this point the tree can no longer be saved and must be removed. The Norway maple can also be affected, but less frequently due to its lower water requirements compared to the sycamore maple.
Massaria shoot dieback on the plane tree
The disease, characteristic of drought stress, only affects plane tree species and has long been known in America. Since 2003 it has appeared increasingly in southern Germany and is now spreading throughout Germany. A fungus, a weakness parasite, usually attacks weakened or dead branches, which is a natural process. However, it also attacks healthy branches during drought stress. At first the bark appears slightly pink, later black spores form, indicating the unstoppable process of branch death. The trees must be monitored and trimmed regularly to prevent accidents and ensure road safety. The high costs of these measures should not be underestimated.
Ash shoot dieback
This dangerous disease is also caused by a fungus. The first infestations were found in Eastern Europe. This disease also came to us from there. The mild winters promote the spread, so that the disease has reached devastating proportions. Not just individual trees, but entire young plant districts and areas have had to be cleared. First, some spots are discovered on the individual branches. This is followed by a real wilting of the shoots. Gradually the entire crown is infected, so that the entire tree dies and is unusable. Since the ash is one of the most important tree species in our forests due to its long-fibered wood, we definitely have to find an equivalent alternative.
Warming brings new residents
Animal pests in climate change
Milder winter temperatures mean that animal pests such as the chestnut leaf miner increasingly feel at home, which can be observed on the horse chestnut. They attack healthy shoots in summer, resulting in brown, brittle leaves and premature leaf fall. This further weakens the trees. This may also be the cause of the stems bleeding out. The future of the horse chestnut as a cultivated species is questionable. Pests on oak trees are also increasing, such as the oak processionary moth, which has been an increasing problem in the last 20 years. Nesting in the treetops causes severe allergies and skin irritation. Sensitive monitoring of these pests is required as native tree species are essential. When planning, it is important to take the needs of the trees into account and consider alternative tree species, which are described separately.
Combating global warming
The solution for sustainable climate protection and environmental protection
Of course, this is a rough summary. This topic is extremely complex and requires decades of research. Scientists around the world are also arguing about how climate change is actually developing and affecting it. What is important to know, however, is that the clock is now at '5 to 12' and urgent and rapid action is therefore required. Because once we have exceeded the magical 2° threshold, we can expect the worst effects that we can even imagine.
Read enough?
Here you can find all our plant genera.
