Climate change has a direct impact on survival of insects who are necessary to maintain the ecological balance

The natural reaction when one sees an insect is of disgust. It reflects the feelings against the whole kingdom of insects. These include cockroaches, mosquitoes and creepy-crawlies of all kinds. However, ecologists say the decline in the population of insects is a matter of concern. It seems there are nearly 5.5 million species of insects on planet Earth. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and account for nearly 80 percent of animal life on earth. The worst part is that both the number and diversity of insects are declining around the globe. These are attributed to loss of habitat, pollution and climate change. A paper published before the ongoing COP27 commenced warns about possible consequences. These could include limiting the chances of a sustainable future with healthy ecosystems. A fading buzz: Editorial on impact of climate change on insects. The paper adds that fruit flies, butterflies, and flour beetles can survive heat waves, but are sterilised and unable to reproduce. They become zombies, the “living dead.”

The reasons for their disappearance are excessive use of pesticide by farmers, rising global temperatures, habitat fragmentation and destruction and so on. The consequences of their annihilation would be drastic. This us because insects enable plants to reproduce, through pollination, and form the base of the food pyramid. One of the fundamental mechanisms that made life on earth possible is insect-borne pollination among flowers and food crops. This is now in peril by this unfolding entomological disaster. Incidentally, species higher up the food chain get a greater attention of scientists, conservators as well as policymakers. Delegates at the COP27 will wrestle with funding, emission cuts, sustainable development goals etcetera. Their agenda should include reducing the use of pesticides.

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