Depressing reading

even the casual observer knows that numbers have collapsed; good news for car windscreens, not so good for the eco system

https://www.theguardia​n.com …reaten-collapse-of-nature

racketman wrote in post #18808577
even the casual observer knows that numbers have collapsed; good news for car windscreens, not so good for the eco system

https://www.theguardia​n.com …reaten-collapse-of-nature

What's the last thing to go through an insects mind when it hits the windscreen of your car; it's arse.

Yes it is shocking, places that just 5 years ago were literally buzzing with pollinators are silent now.

The speed of decline is horrifying.

The seriousness of the threat is grave, even those cognisant of the issues I suspect under estimate the near term threat.

Of course as always the ligistatiors seem oblivious.

on the flip side there are some industries here pushing for pest control using insects once shunned.
Bees & bumblebees for pollination etc

Personally, here, there's less butterflies and moths than in my youth.
Haven't seen an Emperor Gum Moth for years, Monarch Butterflies are rare.

And yet this extremely dry season has seen a plethora of flying insects and the birds have gone crazy.
I've never witnessed such a frenzied display from the birds.
Yesterday I was watching a Cranky fan sitting on its beak scanning the sky when I noticed insects flitting about. The bird just opened its beak and snapped up a passer by. Amazing. (sorry - bit off topic)

Agree overall its not good

It's not difficult to see why this story isn't getting traction. For many years now, our governments and media have been forecasting doom and disaster daily, whether it's vanishing polar bears, destruction of the Great Barrier Reef or failing grain harvests - all of which were patently untrue. Remember the Millennium Bug? What a fizzer. Mad Cow Disease and the thousands of deaths we were going to see? Peak oil anybody?

So, when a real threat emerges (which insect extinctions might prove to be) I can't really blame people for not taking it seriously. Remember the boy who cried wolf.

racketman wrote in post #18808577
even the casual observer knows that numbers have collapsed; good news for car windscreens, not so good for the eco system

https://www.theguardia​n.com …reaten-collapse-of-nature

While I don't doubt that we humans have treated the environment in which we live appallingly, I think statements like: "The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century", are somewhat far-fetched. Insects have been major players in the Earth's ecosystem for some 500 million years and have survived all the catastrophes that have caused the other mass extinctions. With their very quick life-cycles and vast numbers of progeny, they are uniquely placed to evolve characteristics that will enable them to survive and flourish again. Humans—maybe not so much.

Spencerphoto wrote in post #18808907
It's not difficult to see why this story isn't getting traction. For many years now, our governments and media have been forecasting doom and disaster daily, whether it's vanishing polar bears, destruction of the Great Barrier Reef or failing grain harvests - all of which were patently untrue. Remember the Millennium Bug? What a fizzer. Mad Cow Disease and the thousands of deaths we were going to see? Peak oil anybody?

So, when a real threat emerges (which insect extinctions might prove to be) I can't really blame people for not taking it seriously. Remember the boy who cried wolf.

The US spent 100 Billion dollars to avoid problems due to Millennium bug. Australia spent 12 Billion.
The Millennium bug has been partially fixed but the problem remains. 2038 and 2050 are the next dates that need to be addressed.

If no money was spent and no problems occurred, that would be a fizzer.

The Guardian isn't a reliable source. And we don't need more legislation, either.

Regulatory capture is at work here, it's a sad state of affairs.

Alveric wrote in post #18809151
The Guardian isn't a reliable source. And we don't need more legislation, either.

you must have the guardian confused with some other source, it is very reliable.

You can stick your head in the sand,,,or other places as far as you want,,,,people's ignorance of the facts and reality does not change reality and the facts to suit your Ignorance. Maybe instead of wasting your time posting things that truly conflict with the truth,,,you,,and others that refuse to look at,,comprehend and appreciate what is happening in our world might utilize your time better by actually reading the research that has been done then taking a "ignorance is bliss " approach. Either way,,,,you will feel the consequences along with the rest of us !
In the areas I travel,,year after year,,,that birds and insects are in serious decline isn't a opinion,,,it is a very observable fact,,,that only the unobservant,,,or deniers can't or refuse to see.

Lester Wareham wrote in post #18808877
Yes it is shocking, places that just 5 years ago were literally buzzing with pollinators are silent now.

The speed of decline is horrifying.

The seriousness of the threat is grave, even those cognisant of the issues I suspect under estimate the near term threat.

Of course as always the ligistatiors seem oblivious.

I was in grade school when I realized that life on earth as we know it hinges on these little critters survival.

Sorry I had not read ahead when I posted my first reply, to see that sadly this thread had already jumped the shark on taking a very real issue, that relies on fact and science, and gotten twisted into bullsugar politics.

Sadly I have to close this. Politics and Religion are verboten on POTN.

Spencerphoto wrote in post #18808907
It's not difficult to see why this story isn't getting traction. For many years now, our governments and media have been forecasting doom and disaster daily, whether it's vanishing polar bears, destruction of the Great Barrier Reef or failing grain harvests - all of which were patently untrue. Remember the Millennium Bug? What a fizzer. Mad Cow Disease and the thousands of deaths we were going to see? Peak oil anybody?

So, when a real threat emerges (which insect extinctions might prove to be) I can't really blame people for not taking it seriously. Remember the boy who cried wolf.

And on the mad cow thing the UK destroyed, burnt and buried many complete farm stocks of cattle. One wonders if the fields used still have a bio-hazard warning.

Like the mellenium bug there was a massive effort to avoid disaster.

Such an effort is needed for insects, particularly the pollinators. Farmers are already having to make more effort to pollinate crops.

Alveric wrote in post #18809151
The Guardian isn't a reliable source. And we don't need more legislation, either.

The Guardian is a decent paper but I agree not a peer reviewed journal.

However this problem is not exactly news or a surprise, it has been widely reported by seriously respectable groups and is very obvious (at least where I am) just to the untrained observer.