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75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

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Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#91

Post by Dove »

carbonmachine wrote: post #75

Being an earth dwelling human, this seems pretty bad. Aside from buying ammo or survival rations, what's something proactive that I can do? Is there an organization that is trying to rid the world of pesticides (assuming that's the cause)? If I opt to call my representatives, what am I calling in support of/against? Over the last year, reading the news had made me more passive and worried. I want to dedicate a slice…

Try to help figure out why it's happening. Uninformed activism is unhelpful, and can cause people to ignore informed activism.

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#92

Post by smt88 »

nnfy wrote: post #63
knodi wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This kind of the same thing I'm seeing with firefly in Michigan. In the summer time when I first moved to MI over 30 years ago I use to see them everywhere in large amounts. This year they're back but last 3 years I didn't see them at all. As long as there are climate change deniers a.k.a Trump supports we're all in a lot of trouble, even humans.

Some of the people you go out of your way to slander as both trump supporters and climate change deniers exist as they do because of people like you, who immediately take any adverse global trend, blame it on climate change with what amounts to shakey, correlative evidence, and then shame anyone who dares glance over with a skeptical eye. We are dumping all kinds of chemicals into the environment - pesticides, plasti…

Saying that science is biased because it fails to see the benefit of global warming is like saying it's biased because it doesn't discuss the benefit of a worldwide plague.

Sure, there'd be benefits: fewer lines at amusement parks, all the food you can eat, etc. But that's so far from a net "good" that only a psychopath or moron would publish a paper with that argument.

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#93

Post by nathancahill »

carbonmachine wrote: post #75

Being an earth dwelling human, this seems pretty bad. Aside from buying ammo or survival rations, what's something proactive that I can do? Is there an organization that is trying to rid the world of pesticides (assuming that's the cause)? If I opt to call my representatives, what am I calling in support of/against? Over the last year, reading the news had made me more passive and worried. I want to dedicate a slice…

This defeatist attitude is terrible. There's so, so much you can personally do, even if you personally can't create change on a global scale a la Bill Gates and co.

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#94

Post by [deleted] »

Dove wrote: post #91
carbonmachine wrote: post #75

Being an earth dwelling human, this seems pretty bad. Aside from buying ammo or survival rations, what's something proactive that I can do? Is there an organization that is trying to rid the world of pesticides (assuming that's the cause)? If I opt to call my representatives, what am I calling in support of/against? Over the last year, reading the news had made me more passive and worried. I want to dedicate a slice…

Try to help figure out why it's happening. Uninformed activism is unhelpful, and can cause people to ignore informed activism.

[deleted]

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#95

Post by mikestew »

musage wrote: post #62
dawnerd wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could barely mow my lawn last weekend. They just kept attacking me. Didn't even get to trim the edges because I was tired of being stung.

Maybe they're trying to tell you to stop mowing the lawn and start enjoying the meadow?

“Enjoy” a meadow full of stinging insects?

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#96

Post by graeme »

nathancahill wrote: post #93
carbonmachine wrote: post #75

Being an earth dwelling human, this seems pretty bad. Aside from buying ammo or survival rations, what's something proactive that I can do? Is there an organization that is trying to rid the world of pesticides (assuming that's the cause)? If I opt to call my representatives, what am I calling in support of/against? Over the last year, reading the news had made me more passive and worried. I want to dedicate a slice…

This defeatist attitude is terrible. There's so, so much you can personally do, even if you personally can't create change on a global scale a la Bill Gates and co.

They were asking for something proactive, to exit their defeatism. Perhaps you could suggest something.

I suppose reducing spending and food waste is one way an individual can help.

Or for specific problems like insects, if you have a lawn, don’t use pesticides, and cultivate areas of local plants. Grass only lawns aren’t very helpful for insects.

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#97

Post by nathancahill »

graeme wrote: post #96
nathancahill wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This defeatist attitude is terrible. There's so, so much you can personally do, even if you personally can't create change on a global scale a la Bill Gates and co.

They were asking for something proactive, to exit their defeatism. Perhaps you could suggest something. I suppose reducing spending and food waste is one way an individual can help. Or for specific problems like insects, if you have a lawn, don’t use pesticides, and cultivate areas of local plants. Grass only lawns aren’t very helpful for insects.

The list of things an individual can do to lessen their environmental impact could fill a book, and it's up to the person to determine where they can best act. These ideas are easily googleable, which is why I suggest that changing the attitude from "hole up with food and guns" to "look for ways to be proactive".

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#98

Post by beambot »

carbonmachine wrote: post #75

Being an earth dwelling human, this seems pretty bad. Aside from buying ammo or survival rations, what's something proactive that I can do? Is there an organization that is trying to rid the world of pesticides (assuming that's the cause)? If I opt to call my representatives, what am I calling in support of/against? Over the last year, reading the news had made me more passive and worried. I want to dedicate a slice…

> I want to dedicate a slice of time to doing something to solve the problem

Eat less meat (huge environmental impact!), bike more, don't consume as much non-local food, etc.

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#99

Post by eric_h »

graeme wrote: post #96
nathancahill wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This defeatist attitude is terrible. There's so, so much you can personally do, even if you personally can't create change on a global scale a la Bill Gates and co.

They were asking for something proactive, to exit their defeatism. Perhaps you could suggest something. I suppose reducing spending and food waste is one way an individual can help. Or for specific problems like insects, if you have a lawn, don’t use pesticides, and cultivate areas of local plants. Grass only lawns aren’t very helpful for insects.

I had a teacher in high school who frequently cracked a joke that his “ugly” lawn was only ugly because he was prioritizing biodiversity over beauty.

Re: 75% decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas

#100

Post by JamesBarney »

carbonmachine wrote: post #75

Being an earth dwelling human, this seems pretty bad. Aside from buying ammo or survival rations, what's something proactive that I can do? Is there an organization that is trying to rid the world of pesticides (assuming that's the cause)? If I opt to call my representatives, what am I calling in support of/against? Over the last year, reading the news had made me more passive and worried. I want to dedicate a slice…

I would think donating to pro environmental lobbying groups. You be surprised how little large corporations spend on lobbying to influence politicians.
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