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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Where have the sparrows, crows and pigeons vanished?

Has anyone noticed that we are gradually losing out on our feathered friends? It is a problem not unique to us but is a global problem and the reason is their loss of habitat. Trees are being felled to put up multistoried buildings to accommodate human beings and the birds are paying the price.
Common birds like sparrows, crows, and pigeons have more of less vanished from our surroundings and, while there is relief from their menace like droppings, we have lost their company. There is no sound of chirping of the sparrows or the cawing of crows or the homely sounds emitted by the pigeons as they liven up the dull afternoons.
World Sparrow Day is celebrated on March 20 and, ever since it was declared as the state bird in 2012, no action has been taken in Delhi to take care of the gradually sparrow population in the city.

The reason for the disappearance of these birds is that we have usurped their spaces, we have displaced them from the trees and the nooks, corners and cornices of our house. Gone are those magnificent houses of yore that had pillars and ventilators – these used to be the favorite nesting places of the sparrows.
We have embraced the skyscrapers where we have receded into our shells where fresh air from the windows will make us catch a cold. Where we want to shut out menaces like flies and mosquitoes. Hence, we have installed sliding windows – they guarantee safety.
And, when we need fresh air we install room fresheners, switch on the air conditioner and occupy the couch with the TV remote in our hand cutting ourselves off from the world around us. We retreat into a world of make believe and forget about the world where flowers bloom, where butterflies flit showing off their colors, where the silence around us is broken occasionally by the sweet melodies of our feathered friends. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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