In this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we talk with Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford about some of the impacts we are seeing now and how climate change will affect our landscapes and agriculture in the future. We also discuss how to engage with climate change skeptics and what people can do to try and mitigate climate change.

Watch us on YouTube: https://youtu.be/G65eStr_RLA

Skip to what you want to know:

03:35 – What’s the difference between weather and climate?

7:40 – Are we seeing the phenology of plants shifting in the spring due to climate change?

9:13 – Are we at risk of not having enough chill hours for fruit trees like peaches? What about spring freezes?

13:27 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases reports on climate change; Where will we be with climate change at the end of the century?

18:48 – Is a runaway greenhouse effect (like Venus) a risk for Earth?

21:25 – What types of impacts from climate change are we seeing on Illinois agriculture?

25:58 – The biggest impact from climate change on agriculture in Illinois

30:40 – How is climate change going to affect urban tree canopies?

36:47 – How does air conditioning play into heat buildup in cities?

38:13 – How do you engage with climate change skeptics?

44:34 – What can we do to help mitigate climate change?

52:17 – Goodbye and what’s coming up

National Phenology Network - https://www.usanpn.org/

Nature’s Notebook - https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook

The Redbud Phenology Project - https://www.usanpn.org/nn/redbud

Budburst - https://budburst.org/

Check out the Good Growing Blog: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.