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| ©Wilfredo Lee/AP |
| The sabal palm, Florida's state tree, is under attack by a microscopic killer that has scientists mystified. |
MIAMI - The sabal palm, Florida's state tree, is under attack by a microscopic killer that has scientists stumped.
An unknown but growing number of sabal palms in the Tampa Bay area have died from a mysterious disease that researchers are struggling to identify. Even after scientists pinpoint the disease - and that could take years - they will have to learn what insect spreads it. The disease will be tough to stop.
"It's not simply a matter that we will be able to eradicate," said Monica Elliott, a University of Florida plant pathologist. "That's not very likely."
Comment: This article only serves to add to the confusion.
It skims rapidly over the 55 percent that is estimated to be damaged by, in effect, rampant profiteering, in the form of logging and intensive agriculture, leading to direct destruction of the environment. It then it focusses on the 4 percent touted as being due to 'global warming' and centers on the issue of emission reduction targets.
Although industrial pollution is a serious problem which certainly should not be ignored, the known facts about carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect are extremely misrepresented although, of course, it is often not open for discussion.
There are also other forces at work with potentially far-reaching effects on climate, which are completely ignored here.