#Poland - #UrbanGardens help cities fight #ClimateChange

By Andrei Ionescu
July 1, 2025

"Warsaw isn’t short on parks or tree-lined boulevards, but a trio of Polish universities wondered whether smaller, resident-run gardens could add something crucial to the capital’s climate resilience.

"To find out, researchers from SWPS University, Warsaw University of Technology, and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences mapped every vacant meadow, former orchard, and post-industrial lot within easy walking distance of apartment blocks.

"They came up with a staggering 1,864 hectares (4,600 acres) – more than enough space, they say, for a citywide network of community gardens that soak up stormwater, cool overheated streets, and capture carbon.

"The investigation combined that spatial analysis with more than 250 in-depth interviews. The goal was to see who is already gardening, what motivates them, and how much social capital – trust, shared norms, cooperative spirit – might be harvested alongside tomatoes and herbs.

Who uses the urban gardens

"It turns out the movement is surprisingly broad. Urban gardening brings together all social groups, the team reports, from school children planting pollinator patches to cultural institutions converting courtyards into micro-farms.

"Still, two cohorts dominate the regular volunteer lists: retirees – often women with higher education – and young middle class families.

"Most gardens revolve around a core group of 10 to 15 steady hands, supplemented by casual helpers and passers-by who stop to chat, water, or simply lounge among the raised beds.

Motivation of urban gardeners

"Why do they show up week after week? According to study co-author Piotr Majewski of SWPS University, the motivations of urban gardeners vary.

" 'The most important ones are: #reconnection to #nature, positive contribution to the #environment, social relations, and mutual learning between #gardeners,' said Majewski.

"Food, interestingly, is not the primary driver. Leaders said harvests help, but real value comes from #biodiversity, #composting, and public workshops on #sustainable living.

Tiny plots, big impact

"Those activities tally with an expanding body of international research linking urban agriculture to climate adaptation.

"Even pocket-size plots act as #CarbonSinks, trap particulate pollution, and soften the #UrbanHeatIsland. Raised beds can be engineered to hold back flash-flood water, while #compost heaps divert organic waste from #landfills.

"For #Warsaw, the numbers are compelling. Nearly all of the identified 1,864 hectares (4,600 acres) lie within a quarter mile of housing, meaning a potential garden is no farther than a ten-minute stroll for most residents – and often half that.

"Such proximity, the experts argue, makes it easier to harness gardens as a distributed #GreenInfrastructure network in a warming metropolis of nearly two million people.

"Yet the real strength may be social. Garden groups knit neighbors together, boosting the informal networks that cities rely on during #heatwaves, #floods, or other climate-related shocks.

"Many interviewees said they joined to cultivate community first, vegetables second. Regular workdays double as impromptu skill‐shares: retirees pass on horticultural know-how, children learn ecological stewardship, and newcomers forge local friendships.

#UrbanGardens in city plans

"Majewski and his colleagues believe Warsaw’s planners should take that social-ecological synergy seriously.

" 'The system of community gardens should also be considered as a tool to support climate change adaptation solutions in urban policies in spatial planning – provided that they are considered an important link in the urban green infrastructure system,' he explained.

"To get there, the researchers lay out a handful of recommendations. First, city hall could weave gardens into official zoning strategies rather than treating them as informal afterthoughts.

"That might mean leasing public land at peppercorn rents, streamlining permits, or integrating gardens into new housing estates from the design phase.

"Second, municipal agencies could supply starter kits – soil, timber, rain barrels – while leaving day-to-day management to residents. Third, wider publicity would help spread the idea beyond the usual eco-activist circles.

Scaling gardens citywide

"The study also flags areas for further research. At what point does a collection of isolated plots start delivering measurable cooling or flood mitigation benefits?

"How can Warsaw ensure that garden networks thrive in all districts, not just affluent ones with vocal community groups? And what responsibilities will fall on municipal departments when gardens become part of critical infrastructure rather than hobby spaces?

"Those unknowns aside, the evidence is clear: Warsaw already hosts a vibrant cohort of 'hero #activists' who coax life from overlooked corners.

"With modest institutional backing, their trowels and #CompostBins could double as #ClimateAdaptation tools – cooling concrete and absorbing rainfall.

"Perhaps most importantly, they help draw neighbors together in a city that will need every ounce of solidarity as temperatures rise."

https://www.earth.com/news/urban-gardens-help-cities-fight-climate-change/

2 dead in #NewJersey after #floodwaters carry away vehicle during #HeavyRains that hit #NortheasternUS

By SUSAN HAIGH, JENNIFER PELTZ and JENNIFER PELITZ
Updated 2:56 PM EDT, July 15, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — "Two people in New Jersey were killed after their vehicle was swept up in floodwaters during a storm that moved across the U.S. Northeast overnight, authorities said Tuesday.

"Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, noted the deaths occurred in the northern New Jersey city of Plainfield, where there were two storm-related deaths July 3. A third person was killed in North Plainfield during that previous storm.

" 'We’re not unique, but we’re in one of these sort of high humidity, high temperature, high storm intensity patterns right now,' Murphy told reporters after touring storm damage in Berkeley Heights. 'Everybody needs to stay alert.'

"The names of the two latest victims were not immediately released Tuesday. Local officials said the vehicle they were riding in was swept into a brook during the height of the storm.

" 'Emergency personnel responded quickly, but tragically, both individuals were pronounced dead at the scene,' according to a statement the city posted online.

"The heavy rains also caused #FlashFloods in #NewYork and south-central #Pennsylvania on Monday night into early Tuesday, prompting road closures and snarling some service on the #NewYorkCitySubway.

"It was the second-highest one-hour rainfall ever recorded in #CentralPark at more than 2 inches (5 centimeters), surpassed only by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021, according to local officials.

Flooding in the New York City subway

"Viral videos posted online showed water flooding down into one Manhattan subway station, submerging the platform while passengers inside a train watched on.

"Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, told ABC 7 in New York the city’s sewer system got overwhelmed by the rain and backed up into the subway tunnels and to the stations. In several cases, he said, the backup 'popped a manhole,' creating the dramatic 'geyser' seen in some videos.

" 'What happened last night is something that is, you know, a reality in our system,' he told the TV station, noting the backup happens when more than 1 3/4 inches of rain falls in an hour. 'We’ve been working with the city of New York to try to get them to increase the capacity of the system at these key locations.'

"City officials said their venerable sewer system worked as well as it could, but it simply was not built to handle that much rain.

" 'Imagine putting a two-liter bottle of water into a one-liter bottle. Some of it’s going to spill,' Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said at a virtual news briefing Tuesday.

"Lieber said full service was restored to the subway, as well as commuter rails, after hundreds of people worked overnight to restore operations.

"#Flooding has proven to be a stubborn problem for New York’s subway system, despite years and billions of dollars’ worth of efforts to waterproof them.

"#SuperstormSandy in 2012 prompted years of subway repairs and flood-fighting ideas, and some have been put into practice. In some places, transit officials have installed or are installing storm barriers at subway station entrances, seals beneath subway air vents and curbs to raise the vents and entrances above sidewalk level.

"Meanwhile, summer thunderstorms and the remains of hurricanes have repeatedly flooded parts of the subway system anew. In 2021, the remnants of #HurricaneIda killed more than a dozen New York City residents, largely in basement apartments, and sent water cascading again into subways, renewing attention to #resiliency proposals.

The storm’s effects in New Jersey and #Pennsylvania

"The storm prompted multiple water rescues in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where streets and basements flooded after roughly 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell. Some roads remained closed in parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey on Tuesday. Murphy said the pavement buckled in some locations and state and local officials were assessing the level of damage in several counties, noting the White House had reached out to his office.

"A major east-to-west highway in New Jersey was closed to make emergency repairs while dozens of flights were delayed or canceled at area airports Tuesday.

"Most flash flood watches and warnings had expired in parts of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as the rain moved on.

"In one flooded North Plainfield neighborhood, a house caught on fire and collapsed amid the storm. Murphy said there was an explosion at the house but the family was not home and there were no injuries. The cause was under investigation."

Source:
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-new-jersey-flooding-f55d98547abc20e94dbb6be16a7f72cd

Excerpt from "Commons, #Libraries & #Degrowth" by Andrewism

"How has the potent alternative present in the commons been so wiped from our collective memory?

"It goes back to the feudal concept of land ownership, the age of European #colonialism, and of course, the rise of #IndustrialCapitalism. The king of England, for example, owned all the land in feudal England but bestowed titles for pledges of loyalty to powerful members of the nobility that allowed them to rule over large estates. These lords leased the land they were given to aristocrats, who also leased parts of their land as payment, for military aid, or for rent. This rigidly hierarchical system of obligation between landed lords and their tenants or vassals reinforced the monarchy’s ability to stake a claim on the land in their kingdom. However, at the bottom of this system were the peasants, who did all the actual work on the common land on the lord’s estate. Many were generationally serfs; legally prohibited from leaving the land they cultivated without their lord’s permission. Lords may have come and gone, but their bondage to the land was basically forever.

"After the #MagnaCarta, the #BlackDeath, the #Crusades, and all the other dramas that brought #feudalism into decline, the nobility initiated a process of #privatisation that laid the groundwork for early #capitalism through acquisitions, settlement, and enclosure of the commons. But even though revolutions and reforms came and went and most of us have gotten rid of our inbred kings and queens and their right to rule, the concept of sovereignty over private parcels of land and the feudal relationship of landlord and tenant has endured to this day, exported globally through #EuropeanColonialism.

"Despite this violent and antisocial theft of our access to even the means of subsistence, some commons have survived and thrived, though they operate within the constraints of the State and the #GlobalCapitalist status quo. Still, there is a lot we can learn from them when it comes to how to manage the commons.

"Why have they succeeded where others have failed in maintaining their commons? All efforts to organise collective action, including the commons, must address a common set of problems: how to supply new institutions, how to solve commitment issues, and how to maintain stability. It’s not easy. And yet some individuals have created institutions, committed themselves to following the rules they’ve come up with together, and assessed their own and others’ conformance to the rules in order to maintain the stability of their shared commons. Again, why have they succeeded where others have failed? External factors seem to play a significant role. Some have more autonomy than others to change their own institutions while others have change happen too rapidly for them to respond and adjust. Regardless, people try their best to solve the problems they face, despite their limitations. What factors help or hinder them in these efforts is a matter of careful study if we wish to succeed in organising and running our own commons.

"But first, we need to clarify some definitions.

"The commons are based on a common-pool resource or CPR, which is a natural or man-made resource system that benefits a group of people, but provides diminished benefits to everyone if each individual pursues their own self-interest. We must draw a further distinction between the resource system and the resource units produced by the system. Resource systems include #forests, #groundwater basins, irrigation canals, #lakes, #fisheries, #pastures, and even #infrastructure like windmills and the internet, while resource units consist of whatever users appropriate from those resource systems, such as cubic metres of lumber harvested and water withdrawn, tons of fish harvested and fodder grazed, kilowatts generated and network bandwidth used. It’s also important to maintain the #renewability of a resource system by ensuring that the average rate of withdrawal does not exceed the average rate of #replenishment.

"The term ‘appropriators’ refers to those who withdraw resource units from a resource system, like a fisher or farmer. Appropriators may use the resource units they withdraw, like residents powering their homes or farmers watering their crops, or they may transfer the resource units for others to use, such as a logger sending lumber to a hardware store for sale. Those who arrange for the provision of a CPR through financing or design are providers, while producers are those who actually construct, repair, and sustain the resource system itself. Providers, producers, and appropriators are often all the same people.

"Appropriators who share a CPR are deeply intertwined in a tapestry of interdependence. Acting selfishly and independently will usually obtain less benefit than they could have had they collectively organised in some way. The process of organising enables us to coordinate and change our shared situations to obtain higher shared benefits and reduce shared harm.

"Some of the commons institutions that endure today are as old as over a thousand years, while others are a few hundred at most. They exist alongside the personal property of the appropriators involved, such as their crops and livestock, but have remained at the core of these communities’ economies for generations. They have survived #droughts, #floods, #wars, #pestilences, and many major economic and political changes. From the alpine meadows of Torbel, Switzerland to the 3 million hectares of Japanese forest to the irrigation systems of Spain and the Philippines, these projects have evolved over time in response to experience and circumstance. None of them are perfect demonstrations of anarchy or anything, nor are they necessarily the most ‘optimal’ by some metrics. But they are successful in establishing a level of #autonomy and #resilience in the people involved in them, and they’ve managed to carefully maintain the ecology of the regions they inhabit.

"These institutions exist in different settings and have different histories, yet they simultaneously share fundamental similarities. Unpredictable and complex environments combined with engineering and farming skills combined with a predictable population over an extended period of time. These fairly egalitarian communities have developed extensive norms that define proper behaviour, involving honesty and reliability, allowing them to live without excessive conflict in a deeply interdependent environment. The perseverance of these institutions is due to the seven, and in some cases eight, key principles that Elinor Ostrom outlines in Governing the Commons..."

Read more:
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/andrewism-commons-libraries-degrowth
#SolarPunkSunday #AnarchistLibrary #ClimateCrisis #Resiliency

From 2018: #Native Knowledge: What #Ecologists Are Learning from #IndigenousPeople

From Alaska to Australia, scientists are turning to the knowledge of traditional people for a deeper understanding of the natural world. What they are learning is helping them discover more about everything from melting Arctic ice, to protecting fish stocks, to controlling wildfires.

By Jim Robbins • April 26, 2018

"While he was interviewing Inuit elders in Alaska to find out more about their knowledge of beluga whales and how the mammals might respond to the changing Arctic, researcher Henry Huntington lost track of the conversation as the hunters suddenly switched from the subject of belugas to beavers.

"It turned out though, that the hunters were still really talking about whales. There had been an increase in beaver populations, they explained, which had reduced spawning habitat for salmon and other fish, which meant less prey for the belugas and so fewer whales.

"'It was a more holistic view of the ecosystem,' said Huntington. And an important tip for whale researchers. 'It would be pretty rare for someone studying belugas to be thinking about freshwater ecology.'

"Around the globe, researchers are turning to what is known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to fill out an understanding of the natural world. TEK is deep knowledge of a place that has been painstakingly discovered by those who have adapted to it over thousands of years. 'People have relied on this detailed knowledge for their survival,' Huntington and a colleague wrote in an article on the subject. 'They have literally staked their lives on its accuracy and repeatability.'

"This realm has long been studied by disciplines under headings such as ethno-biology, ethno-ornithology, and biocultural diversity. But it has gotten more attention from mainstream scientists lately because of efforts to better understand the world in the face of climate change and the accelerating loss of biodiversity.

"Anthropologist Wade Davis, now at the University of British Columbia, refers to the constellation of the world’s cultures as the 'ethnosphere,' or 'the sum total of all thoughts and dreams, myths, ideas, inspirations, intuitions, brought into being by human imagination since the dawn of consciousness. It’s a symbol of all that we are, and all that we can be, as an astonishingly inquisitive species.'

"One estimate says that while native peoples only comprise some 4 or 5 percent of the world’s population, they use almost a quarter of the world’s land surface and manage 11 percent of its forests. 'In doing so, they maintain 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity in, or adjacent to, 85 percent of the world’s protected areas,' writes Gleb Raygorodetsky, a researcher with the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria and the author of The Archipelago of Hope: Wisdom and Resilience from the Edge of Climate Change."

Read more: https://e360.yale.edu/features/native-knowledge-what-ecologists-are-learning-from-indigenous-people

#SolarPunkSunday #Resiliency
#Biodiversity #CulturalPreservation
#ClimateChange #Ethnosphere #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #SustainableDevelopment #TEK #TIK #TraditionalIndigenousKnowledge