Plight of the bumblebee
IT was one of the few perfect days of this summer. Agromenes was in the garden listening to the bees gorging themselves on the lavender. Of course, we should have cut it all back by then, but we hadn’t the heart—the bees were enjoying it all so much. Where I was sitting, a large bumblebee was making its portly way through the grass. It was a worthwhile reminder of a threat of which we have only recently become aware. Not only are bumblebees in danger because of habitat loss and chemical misuse, but recent research has shown that they are very much affected by the rise in temperature. Heat significantly reduces their sense of smell and, therefore, their ability to forage effectively for food. This is yet another example of the pervasiveness of climate disruption, reaching through the natural world— even here in these most favoured islands.
It was brought home again last week when livestock farmers in Essex, following their neighbours in Norfolk and Suffolk, were put under restriction because of the outbreak of bluetongue. Carried by midges, this nasty disease affects sheep and cattle and is often fatal. It doesn’t spread to humans, but it is seriously bad for animal welfare and disastrous for the incomes even of those whose flocks and herds remain healthy, because farmers are unable to move animals or market them freely. Although normally found on the Continent, these midges have become a menace because they thrive in the warmer temperatures; increasing UK heat means that even the Isle of Man has banned imports to protect its farmers. No wonder country people are among those most concerned about climate change—our earlier springs and wetter autumns; the floods and the storms—we’re seeing it happening around us all the time.
Even so, this year we should be counting ourselves very lucky. We may bemoan the patchy summer, but we have been spared the searingly hot weather that has afflicted so much of southern Europe. The latest news from Greece will serve as a particularly sharp reminder. Very nearly 50% of the population is provided with water from Lake Mornos. It’s a manmade lake that, some 45 years ago, flooded the village of Kallio and was 6½ square miles in area. In the past two years, it has shrunk to 4½ square miles and the village is re-emerging. No snow on the mountains, drought and heatwaves mean that water is now rationed and people must seek alternative supplies.
It’s the same story in Sicily and Sardinia, Italy, where severe drought over the past year means that wheat farmers have lost half their harvest, water rationing has become essential and reservoirs remain seriously depleted. All of this is not surprising, given that this year has already seen the hottest day ever recorded— only for that record to be beaten a day later. Indeed, every month since June 2023 has now ranked as the planet’s hottest, compared with the same month in previous years. No wonder so many Britons are changing the holiday habits of a lifetime now their favourite destinations are simply too hot.
The plight of the bumblebee should remind us that climate change is not only about the big things—the droughts and wildfires that this year have afflicted southern Europe, Asia and North America. The effects reach right down into every aspect of the planet’s life, from the spread of disease among humans, animals and plants to the profound changes wrought by everrising sea levels and increasingly intensive rain and storms. Through our addiction to fossil fuels, we are challenging everything on which we rely—our weather, our health, our water and our food security. We must stop.
Climate change is not only about the big things. The effects reach into every aspect of the planet’s life