Friends, as many of you know, I’ve been getting a lot more into gardening this last year, which means I’m constantly thinking about plants now, which I’m not upset about. But one thing I am upset about is climate change! That’s right friends, on top of the COVID-19, economic, and racial injustice crises, we still have the climate crisis, which is also fueling the extinction crisis. So many crises! 

With climate change, we know we’re kinda fucked. Because baby boomers decided it was more important to crack down on weed to arrest brown and black people, we just ignored the early scientific consensus that the earth was getting warmer because of fossil fuels. And thanks to the fossil fuel industry, meaningful action was delayed. Now even with all of the great work that’s being done, we’re still going to have to deal with the effects of climate change (thanks, boomers). 

And while that’s bad enough, you and I have legs and means of moving out of disaster areas. Plants don’t have that same luxury. They’re rooted in place. So how are plants responding to the climate crisis? Can they respond to it? They’re getting caught up in more extreme weather events, and it takes longer for plants to shift their ranges. Like so many other species, many plants are threatened with extinction from climate change. So what are we going to do about it? 

Fortunately, my friend Tracy thinks about plants a lot more than I do and had some answers to my questions. Tracy lives in Minneapolis, which has been at the forefront of defunding the police and dismantling racist systems. I’m also proud that Tracy was quick and early to join her fellow Minneapolitans in demanding justice and reform. We chatted months before George Floyd’s murder, which is why you won’t hear us talk about it.

Instead, we talk all things plants, climate change, and if there’s anything humans can do to help (or if we’ll just fuck it all up again).So pour yourself a drink, maybe go sit out in your garden or under a tree, and enjoy the conversation. 

Cheers!