Dallas Arboretum 'Dallas Blooms' festival moved up, a colorful consequence of climate change - CBS News
Dallas Arboretum 'Dallas Blooms' festival moved up, a colorful consequence of climate change - CBS Texas
Dallas Arboretum 'Dallas Blooms' festival moved up, a colorful consequence of climate change
DALLAS — If you're looking for evidence that late winter just hits differently here in North Texas then take a look at the flowers in full bloom at the Dallas Arboretum.
"I was already sending pictures to all my family back in the Midwest and they're all very jealous, so, we were excited that it was already blooming," says visitor Ally Johansmeier.
But is it too soon for 'Dallas Blooms', the arboretum's hugely popular spring floral festival?
Vice President of Gardens for the Dallas Arboretum, Dave Forehand, says festival timing, including when they plant the bulbs, is now impacted by climate change.
So the Dallas Arboretum is dealing with the warmer weather, by tweaking the calendar.
"It's blooming earlier so we've had to shift what we do in terms of our show to accommodate that," says Forehand.
Although some of the first blooms arrived early, other tulip varieties are staggered so the bursts of color in the beds and garden will change for weeks to come.
The gardens are open every day from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Dallas Blooms officially launches on Saturday, February 24, and runs through April 8.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”