Rebugging the Planet and economic issues. But if it means you notice more bugs and grubs in your life, and if it inspires you to do something, it has done a decent job. This book is about helping everyone to do a citizen rebug. We can do this.
Imagine a world without bugs Over the past few years, the global media have been reporting on a so-called ‘Insectageddon’ and what a bugless world could mean.They cite the growing body of evidence that the invertebrates, and particularly the insects, are in big trouble. This can make for scary reading, which can make some people feel powerless. But it is having an impact on research budgets and government action which were much needed, and at least the media are also starting to explain to the public, more helpfully, why this decline will be a problem: telling the story of bugs in our lives and describing what it will mean if we lose them. That we will lose many of the foods that we take for granted, including coffee, chocolate and fruits. That these invertebrates are the butterflies we love and that they provide food for the birds we also love. If these go, we have lost not only the means to feed us but much of the beauty and reasons to enjoy life itself… So, a chilling story, but is it a sensationalised media response to the scientific evidence? A little bit, yes. If you took some of the reportage at face value, and you have the means, you may be considering stockpiling food, breeding bees and building a fortress against the coming crisis. We are not quite at that stage yet, but it could start to get close if we don’t act now. For someone like me who has long yearned for greater interest in and support for invertebrates, this attention is welcome. So, I’d like to try and show what Insectageddon could be like – especially as we are already seeing some signs of collapse.
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