Butterflies Die At Record Rate, Risks To Environment
According to a new article, “Butterfly populations flutter bye,” published in the journal Science, butterflies are dying at record rates. In the continental US, the figure has fallen 22% in the last two decades. Pesticides and a warming climate are among the primary reasons.
The Washington Post points out that the problem is not just a simple environmental accident. Butterflies are food for birds and mammals, which are critical to the human food supply chain.
Food Supply Chain
The news also reminds us of the mass extinction of many species, some of which have an immediate impact on humans.
Earth.org reports “It is estimated that for every 20 minutes, an animal or plant species becomes extinct, and in the past 50 years, the rate of animal extinction has increased 40 times faster than during the Industrial Revolution period.” That figure is expected to accelerate quickly between now and 2050. By 2100, many of the world’s largest mammals may be gone.
Tip Of An Iceberg
The butterfly effect is just the tip of the iceberg. Some animals that are likely to die in the next few decades are part of the agricultural industry.
This is another example of how climate-caused scarcity will become a larger and larger issue.
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