Something we didn’t know about global warming-and we think you should too

Between 1845 and 1849 the population of Ireland fell by 25%. One million people died. One million emigrated.* The political effects of this Great Hunger (Gorta Mor) are still with us today. The cause? A plant pathogen called Phythoptera infestans.

If all this seems a very long time ago, think again. Plant pathogens including oomycetes are lurking in the soil in many countries, particularly hot ones. They can cause tremendous damage to all sorts of crops. And according to Raul Limon of El Pais,* global warming is causing them to stir-and move north.

Once again, we will not get in the way of Raul’s excellent article, which we post below. But for the benefit of monoglot anglophones, Raul makes these telling points:

A new atlas maps the distribution of all the most dangerous organisms

There are excellent predictive graphics, showing how the threat will vary according to different levels of global warming

The list of threatening organisms is frighteningly high, with threats to crops like bananas, wheat, apples and rice.

https://elpais.com/ciencia/2020-06-05/los-patogenos-que-colonizaran-el-planeta.html

for a general discussion on pathogens try

http://www.davidmoore.org.uk/21st_Century_Guidebook_to_Fungi_PLATINUM/Ch14_01.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_%28Ireland%29

#globalwarming #massmigration #irishfamine #plantpathogen