The insect crisis : the fall of the tiny empires that run the world / Oliver Milman.
Publisher:
W.W. Norton & Company,
Copyright Date:
2023
Description:
260 pages ; 21 cm
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-241) and index.
Contents:
Prologue -- A human emergency. Winners and losers -- "Zero insect days" -- The peak of the pesticide -- In the teeth of the climate emergency -- The labor of honeybees -- A monarch's journey -- The inaction plan -- A human emergency.
Summary:
"A devastating exploration of how the collapse in insect populations around the world threatens everything from wild birds to the food on our plate. From the ants scurrying under leaf litter to the bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are seemingly everywhere. Three out of four of the planet's known species are insects, but a torrent of recent evidence suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. Oliver Milman delves into why insect numbers are plummeting and outlines the dire consequences of losing the tiny empires that hold life aloft on Earth. Along the way, readers encounter a researcher who collects insect guts from the windshields of cars, the bees sent on long-haul truck journeys to prop up our food supply, and a desperate attempt to move trees up mountains to save an iconic butterfly. The mounting losses threaten to unpick the web of life we rely upon. Illuminating and inspiring, The Insect Crisis is a wake-up call for all of us"-- Provided by publisher
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.