MONTREAL -- In Episode #32 of his podcast, Thomas Fraser talks with Anne Charpentier, the Director of the Montreal Botanical Garden, about the botanical garden's efforts to lead an ecological transition and adapt to climate change in Montreal.  Like many cities around the world, Montreal has been affected by climate change.  Heat waves, higher temperatures and black ice storms are more frequent.  The goal of the Montreal Botanical Garden is to be an example of successful climate adaptation for Montreal and for Canada.

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"We have to be an inspiration and an example," she says.

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The Montreal Botanical Garden is planning a plant succession strategy for its exterior garden collections to adapt to climate change.  The Montreal Botanical Garden is also taking steps to dramatically reduce its greenhouses' greenhouse gas emissions and water use.  The botanical garden's greenhouses, which were built in the 1950's with gas heating systems, have been identified as one of Montreal's major sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

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The City of Montreal recently announced ambitious new plans to guide Montreal's post-pandemic recovery and to bolster the city's economic, social and ecological resilience. Charpentier describes the key points of "Montreal 2030," the citywide 10-year strategic plan.

 

The Montreal Botanical Garden is one of the 10 most important botanical gardens in the world.  Hosting 900,000 visitors annually and organizing a wide variety of scientific, research, conservation and educational initiatives, the Montreal Botanical Garden is an incredibly busy place.  The botanical garden also plays an important role in tourism and in the economy of Montreal.

 

This podcast is the sixth episode in an ongoing series on the global renaissance in public park building and how cities are adapting to climate change.

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Photo: Space for Life Montreal (Lola Meunier)