There are times when I wonder about the intelligence of those who produce our news and current affairs programmes as there seems little doubt that very little thought goes into them.
This morning, the "Today" programme on BBC Radio 4 carried 2 reports close together and which could clearly have been linked, if the producer had given it a moment's thought. These reports covered the supposed need for 300,000 new homes to be built in England each year and the vanishing habitat for our insect life.
From Oxford, we were told that insect species are disappearing and that millions, or billions, of individual insects are being eliminated every year due to the destruction of their habitats. Exactly where these habitats are was barely more than hinted at, but it was made clear that this is a problem. On the other hand, the building of hundreds of thousands of new houses every year was indicated to be at risk due to delays in the planning system, with no reference to the damage that such massive building does to the environment.
Is it not obvious that the 2 problems are inter-related, that the loss of habitat is at least partly due to excessive building, be it for social or commercial purposes ? Until the last 200 years or so, the population of England was quite small. The census of 1801 indicated that it was around 8 million, whereas today it is approaching 60 million; England is now one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Vast swathes of forest that existed in the past have been chopped down to be replaced by land for agriculture, housing or industrial development. The habitats previously providing homes to a huge range of plant and animal life, including insects of all sorts, have simply vanished.
Across the world, a similar pattern has emerged. Enormous increases in the human population have led to the destruction of every kind of natural habitat, from rain forests to river deltas. Insects along with animal, and plant, life of every kind has been put at risk, driven to the point of no return or even eradicated. The Dodo is far from the only creature to have suffered this fate at the hands of the burgeoning billions of humanity. The quagga and thylacine, the passenger pigeon and great auk have all fallen prey to human expansion over the last couple of centuries along with many other species. Today, gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees are at risk, as are rhinos and elephants, lions, tigers, whales, dolphins ………… . How many species of plant and insect life either are at risk of or have already suffered extinction can only be guessed at.
Surely it must be obvious that the problem we face is not a need for housing or delays in gaining planning permission; even industrialisation and climate change is not the root problem. The problem is the vast growth in the human population which shows little real sign of slowing down. An estimated 1 billion in 1800 has risen to around 7.5 billion today and is forecast to rise to more than 11 billion by the end of this century; is it any wonder that the world is in trouble ?
The problem the world faces is humanity. Humans are naturally competitive and accretive; they look for opportunities to increase their possessions, wealth and power with little consideration for anything else. It's all about survival of the fittest and, at the moment, humans are clearly surviving better than most animals on the planet, though also at the expense of those other animals, insects included.
This won't continue. Unless we wake up to this real issue, humanity is doomed.
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