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where have all the insects gone? | Financial Times (archive.ph)

submitted 2 months ago by stabby_cicada to c/collapse

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

They're dying. They're the first to go when climates change. A harbinger of death and change.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

When I was a little kid, a road trip included tons of smashed bugs on the windshield. Now, none. I wonder how much of that is improved aerodynamics of the car windshield vs fewer bugs. I was unable to open the linked article, so this will remain a mystery for now.

[–] gandalf_der_12te 2 points 2 months ago

I saw a meme a while ago with three panels:

in the first panel, insects smashing against a driving car (labeled 1990)
in the second panel, just the driver, but no insects (labeled 2020)
in the third panel, the driver is gone, it's just the car (labeled 2050)

unfortunately i can't find the meme anymore.

[–] gandalf_der_12te 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

So, I have comments/questions:

insects just like any other lifeform is sensitive and needs protection. they lay their eggs underground, where they're protected from direct sunlight and the cold winter. if we plough through the dirt every year, it's obvious that we'll disrupt that generational hibernation, and that disrupts the cycle of death and rebirth for the insects, that's why they vanish. I think ploughing is the biggest reason for insects disappearing, though it wasn't listed in the article (or i missed it)

“We could not feed the global human population without [insect] pollinators,”

(that's a quote from the article). I think that's wrong though. Most calories are provided by cereals, and cereals are wind-pollinating, AFAIK.