Insect Apocalypse ... looms

Scientists have found a clear link between extreme land use and 

the climate crisis in pushing insect species toward collapse. 

While Americans are the leaders in not worrying about climate change, the rest of the world is not, especially when considering how rapidly the 6th great extinction event, known as the Anthropocene, is gathering speed with one focal point being the ongoing insect collapse happening 24/7 as we speak.

Extreme land use combined with warming temperatures are pushing insect ecosystems toward collapse in some parts of the world, scientists reported Wednesday.

The study, published in the journal Nature, identified for the first time a clear and alarming link between the climate crisis and high-intensity agriculture and showed that, in places where those impacts are particularly high, insect abundance has already dropped by nearly 50%, while the number of species has been slashed by 27%.

These findings raise huge concerns, according to Charlotte Outhwaite, the lead author on the study and researcher at the University College London, given the important role of insects in local ecosystems, pollination and food production, and noted that losing insects could threaten human health and food security.

"Three quarters of our crops depend on insect pollinators," Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex in the UK, previously told CNN. "Crops will begin to fail. We won't have things like strawberries.

"We can't feed 7.5 billion people without insects."

This can change if we want it to.

However, the report says we can all act as first responders and take relatively simple steps to help reverse what the report describes as a "catastrophic decline in the abundance and diversity of insects."

"Insects live in our parks and gardens. Gardeners can really make a difference," he said.

He said habitat loss was the biggest culprit in declining insect populations globally, but pesticide use in farming and climate change were also contributing.

• Mow your lawn less frequently and allow part of it to flower. View weeds such as dandelions -- which are great for bees -- as wildflowers and let them grow.
• Grow plants that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, such as lavender, catmint and buddleia.
• Make a bug hotel or provide a log or brush pile. These attract humble insects and invertebrates like woodlice, which recycle nutrients and act as food for birds and small mammals.
• Dig a pond and watch as it attracts dragonflies, pond skaters and whirligig beetles.
• Urge local authorities to plant native trees that flower on streets and parks and plant wildflowers in road medians.
• Avoid using pesticides and encourage authorities to do the same.