[onlooker]

I recommend this book. Pillage, Plunder & Pollute, LLC
A Global Glut of Invisible Trace Gases is Destroying Life on Earth

I actually have not read it just read the summary and introduction. It documents how surface ozone is literally destroying plant life on Earth. Just another reminder of the devastation we continue to enact upon Earth and consequently ourselves. Here is link:
http://www.deadtrees-dyingforests.com/p ... llute-llc/

[GHung]

http://www.epa.gov/groundlevelozone/

Ecosystem Effects

Ozone also affects sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas. In particular, ozone harms sensitive vegetation, including trees and plants during the growing season.

Plant species that are sensitive to ozone and potentially at an increased risk from exposure include trees such as black cherry, quaking aspen, ponderosa pine and cottonwood. These trees are found in many areas of the country.

Ground level ozone can have harmful effects on sensitive vegetation and ecosystems. When sufficient ozone enters the leaves of a plant, it can:

Interfere with the ability of sensitive plants to produce and store food.
Visibly damage the leaves of trees and other plants, harming the appearance of vegetation in urban areas, national parks, and recreation areas.

In addition to reduced tree growth and visible injury to leaves, continued ozone exposure over time can lead to increased susceptibility of sensitive plant species to disease, damage from insects, effects of other pollutants, competition, and harm from severe weather. These effects can also have adverse impacts on ecosystems, including loss of species diversity and changes to habitat quality and water and nutrient cycles

[ennui2]

I used to read Gail's blog.

The problem I had with it is she used to just walk around and randomly take photos of crinkled leaves or dying trees and claim that it was all ozone-related. It just felt very unscientific and she seemed like the only one banging the drum.

It could be that there's something to this, but I just didn't like her amateur methodology and her tendency to want to leap to conclusions about what she was seeing. When photos comprise the majority of your evidence, then it just starts to feel to me like looking for images of Jesus in a swirl of coffee cream.

[onlooker]

I kind of get what your getting at in general Ennui, this over dramatic almost hysterical nature of some commentaries and even commentators without sometimes sound info to back it up. I will say that in my humble opinion though at this point we cannot overestimate the nature of OUR predicament.