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RE #2. _Possibly_ loss of milkweed is killing the Monarch, not necessarily Roundup. (Better weed control means less weeds). Weed sprays have been in use for dec
by jqm 11y ago
RE #2. _Possibly_ loss of milkweed is killing the Monarch, not necessarily Roundup. (Better weed control means less weeds). Weed sprays have been in use for decades. Roundup happens to be one of the safer ones. Claiming that Roundup is killing the Monarch is just.... silly. Farmers need to control weeds. That's the bottom line.
If people are (rightly) concerned about the Monarch they should do the obvious... cultivate some dedicated patches of milkweed rather than expecting farmers to have weeds in their fields. Put your money where your mouth is. Get a campaign together and pay farmers to grow a few acres of milkweed.
- lbenes 11y agoSure you can claim there's no "smoking gun" between Roundup use and the loss of the Monarch just like the FDA refused to acknowledge the link between antibiotics in livestock and superbugs in humans in the 1970s. [1] Or you can look at it as a clear sign from nature that we're causing serious harm to our ecosystem. As a kid, I grew up with Monarch as part of my summer experience. So much so, that we only mow the back meadow in the fall to allow the milkweed to grow. Yet, last year I didn't see a single Monarch. And may be the last generation in my family to see them. Humans are amazing at adapting to short term changes and terrible at planning for the long term survival of our ourselves and those we share the planet with. [1] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/health-science-technology/trouble-with-antibiotics/transcript-69/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/health-science-techn...