Bee and butterfly numbers are falling, even in undisturbed forests
6 upvotes and no comments for the single most important story on HN for the year so far.<p>To quote a poster:<p>A smiling bee says, "When we go, we're taking you with us!"<p>The ongoing human-caused insect apocalypse signals that the same is coming for humanity. Most flowering dicotyledonous plants don't make fruits or seeds without pollinating insects.<p>There goes many human crops. There go the forests that catch and slowly release rainwater to irrigate those crops. There goes much of on-land CO₂ absorbtion and capture. Here comes the big dustbowl, there goes the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, goodbye to every coastal town and city in the world.