The greatest worry for mankind

[Jeff Woodhouse]

A guy called John Griffith posted this on Facebook. I don't know if the original author is an angler, an environmentalist, or one of the 'Extinction Rebellion' people, but I suspect he's a common sense chap who is genuinely concerned, as should we all be.

This was his post and the picture. -
"Yes, this is a really good example of shifting baseline syndrome. Read below: I do not know who the author is.

"SHIFTING BASELINE SYNDROME.

Do you remember washing your car 20 years ago? Massive dragonflies and insects of all shapes and sizes splattered over the windscreen?
The younger generations may not even know, but older people will surely remember that up until some 20 years ago any car trip on a late summers afternoon meant a windshield covered in dead insects.
However, nowadays that doesn't happen so much, does it?
It may sound great news—after all, who doesn't like to travel with a clean windshield? But what does it really mean? Doesn't that tell you anything?
Scientists associate the dramatic decline in insect populations with industrial agricultural practices, especially habitat destruction and pesticide use.
That decline, besides being a tragedy by itself, also affects the whole terrestrial ecosystems, such as the birds', reptiles' and amphibians' diet, pollination, etc.

The collapse of the insect populations may be a forewarning of the collapse of the terrestrial ecosystems..

This is the critical decade for action in solidarity with life itself"

 

[rich66]

I did think myself last summer the lack of insect corpses on my windscreen was distinctly less then I remember.

I honestly believe that it will only get worse as we see a growth in farming methods to cater to latest trends. More pesticides, more herbicides, more artificial fertiliser. Will make a huge impact into our invertebrate population terrestrial & aquatic a like.

I find it very concerning

 

[103841]

For a long time I was one of those with my head in the sand, climate change, species becoming extinct etc.went straight over my head.

One of the first things that suddenly made me think and have a genuine sadness and concern was exactly the graphic above. As a chauffeur driving every day often before sunrise and after sunset on hot Summer days my car would be caked in bugs, I spent hours removing the blood splattered mess! I’d even go to the trouble of putting cling film over certain areas of the car so I could arrive to pick up my client with a clean car, having peeled off the film prior to pick up. (I was totally ocd).

It’s only been in the last few years that I notice this doesn’t happen any more, I’m sure I’ve mentioned it here, even as a townie most of my life with my head in the sand I could understand the environmental impact the disappearance of insects is having on our planet.

Now living by the sea and spending time on the beach, even more now I’m sea fishing it’s also noticeable how those irritating flies are rarely a problem.

The scale of devastation happening in Australia is on a level I can hardly comprehend, terrifying.

 

[lambert1]

I was certainly aware of the decline in Butterflies, but otherwise I had not really noticed I am ashamed to say. Things are certainly different from when I was young too. We seldom see a Sparrow and yet we get loads of Blue ****, Great ****, Coal **** and Long Tailed ****. When I used to watch out of the window as a kid the **** were occasional visitors and the ground was awash with Sparrows. I have to say I really miss them. Now I think of it you do not see so many moths around outside lights any more either. So sad.

 

[lambert1]

I did not swear that is their correct names!

 

[103841]

The sparrows seem to have deserted London completely, plenty down here in Kent, like me they’ve had enough of city life!

 

[no-one in particular]

See a few sparrows down here every summer in Sussex by the sea, not seen a tree sparrow for years, saw one song thrush last year. Both these were very common in London when I was a kid. I still see plenty of Dragonflies when by the canal and they seem to be around for longer, warmer autumns and winters. Still see a great splurge of flying ants most years when they take to the air. The most common birds now seem to me are magpies and wood pigeons. Plenty of **** and the coal tit seems to have increased and gold finches.
I have read some reports of the disappearing insects as well, nature has changed a lot from when i was a kid, should we fight it, is it a losing battle or just accept it?

 

[103841]

Interesting, so a tit is acceptable but **** are not.

 

[no-one in particular]

Interesting, so a tit is acceptable but **** are not.

I noticed that, couldn't be bothered to change it, it's a load of ****.

 

[103841]

Just about as confusing as a pair of kippers.

 

[mikench]

Computers, algorithms etc which deny common sense and can only interpret a series of letters and not context. I give up. I like a pair of kippers and a good coat of wax on the bodywork and a repellant like rainx can reduce the amounts of dead bugs. They are much reduced in number however.

 

[no-one in particular]

Just about as confusing as a pair of kippers.

It’s all going **** up S, what with me cannot tell the difference between a Vulture and a Sparrow anymore, what a pair of kippers are, our poor editor wandering around foreign airports in a dazed state of confusion, even the spell check is confused now, the future of this forum does not look bright.

 

[POLEMINATOR]

Any chance the intelligence of insects has evolved and they have learnt to stay out of the path of moving vehicles ? Far out there I know but nature has a persistent way of adapting and surviving

Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk

 

[103841]

Splattered bugs will be replaced by humans when we’ve all gone electric and we can’t hear them coming.

 

[POLEMINATOR]

Splattered bugs will be replaced by humans when we’ve all gone electric and we can’t hear them coming.

The thought of autonomous cars scare me,

Sent from my SM-J330FN using Tapatalk

 

[David Gane]

No doubt that climate change is a serious issue and that we all need to contribute to doing something about it, but there is one issue that almost nobody talks about. I suspect that the reason is that it is incredibly hard to remain pc for more than a few moments when you get onto the subject.

There are just too many of us; population growth is happening at an ever-increasing pace. Unless we do something about population growth, nothing else will make any real impression on the problem. World population is currently estimated at 7.7 billion. By 2050 it is projected to reach almost 10 billion, so think about it. If every man, woman and child in the world decreases their carbon footprint by around 30% in the next 30 years, population growth alone will wipe out all of the benefits of what they have achieved.

It's certainly a minefield for politicians, but the simple truth is that the world as a whole needs to do something about population control. For all the talk about electric cars, changing from gas to electric heating and going vegetarian we just can't go on breeding the way we are.

 

[no-one in particular]

Cheer up-Here's my new great nephew, I am a great uncle, awesome. I am on my way out and he's just come in, population equilibrium maintained. He will drive an electric car, eat stem cell grown meat or be a veggie and the world would have cooled down by the time he starts fishing (I hope he doesn't freeze to death), I am leaving him my best split cane rod, so he doesn't fish with polluting ****; I am sure he will love that!!!. He will probably live in a bio degradable solar powered yogurt bin or something and his carbon footprint will be -100. Mind you he's American and his name is Emery, not sure why he's named after a cloth but still bloody awesome. Say hello Emery, take no notice, your future is brighter than these would have you believe.
Sorry, couldn't help myself, just got this today. as you all were

 

[mikench]

Very true and it's the elephant in the room. Something will happen to man either by some superbug, natural disaster or starvation. India and Nigeria are the fastest growing and between them make up 1.7 billion yet we give them aid. Why? They and all countries should have restrictions on numbers, voluntary or otherwise. The planet cannot provide for the current numbers let alone those estimated in 30 years time.

Land for growing and water will be the commodities most wanted by fair means or foul. I won't be around but we owe it to the kids we have mass produced.

 

[lambert1]

I have to agree too. To me it is wrong to bring a child into the world knowing that you will not be able to support them and are sentencing them to a life of misery picking over rubbish tips or begging on trains. I find it hard to accept that India has a space programme which cannot be anything other than horrendously expensive, whilst some of its population is in abject poverty. I know that I will be accused of seeing this through western eyes and being ignorant of Indian life and society. At the end of the day it is only my opinion

 

[mikench]

Indian life is abject contradiction. The rich are very rich , they have a caste system with those at the bottom called untouchables. They do have a space programme while 1 billion poor people have to c*** In the fields and have no running water.

Yet we give them aid and provide jobs for them in their call centres. When you get through they are invariably male and called Fred Tomlinson. Its Kafkaesque.