3 ms·
Not yet, like many effects of ecological collapse there is a lag time. As much as 50-90% of our calories come from angiosperms which are dependent on insects: h
by makerofspoons 8y ago
Not yet, like many effects of ecological collapse there is a lag time. As much as 50-90% of our calories come from angiosperms which are dependent on insects: https://www.livescience.com/52752-what-if-all-insects-died.html https://www.livescience.com/52752-what-if-all-insects-died.h... and insects help us produce new top soil, of which we have lost half in the last 150 years: https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/soil-erosion-and-degradation https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/soil-erosion-and-degra...
The combination of soil loss, pollinator loss, and decomposer loss helping us produce new soil will be a double-whammy for our agriculture. Thus far I would assume the reason why we have gotten away with growing plenty of (increasingly less nutritious) food is because of the wasteful practices that are killing the insects and depleting our soil, so we are on borrowed time.
- chrisco255 8y agoHere's an article from 1981 fearing the impending effect on soil loss in the U.S. due to expanded global exports of wheat, corn, and soy. https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0603/060350.html https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0603/060350.html Nearly 40 years later...doomsday has yet to arrive.
- NeedMoreTea 8y agoInteresting article. More like here's an article noticing that its happening, covers some of the reasons why (like fertiliser enabling the end of traditional crop rotation), and it deserves place in planning and ideally mitigating. No suggestions soil will be gone by 2020, or even 2100 or 2200. the bigger claim, if one looks beyond the near decades, is to consider the state of the nation's agricultural resources ... our oil is clearly running out, and so is the most precious of our resources -- topsoil Is about as "fearing" of the "impending" "doomsday" as it gets.