Read and Weep: Task Force on systemic insecticides: Report

My friend seriously underestimates the ability of Big agribusiness to ignore anything that might reduce short term profits

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

 I think his report will be difficult for the Insecticide industry to ignore. Sandra

 systemic pesticides:http://www.tfsp.info/

 http://www.tfsp.info/about-us/

 enquiries.tfsp@gmail.com <mailto:enquiries.tfsp@gmail.com

 The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides is the response of the scientific community to concern around the impact of systemic pesticides on biodiversity and ecosystems. Its intention is to provide the definitive view of science to inform more rapid and improved decision-making.

 History

 In 2009 a group of European scientists from several disciplines convened amid growing scientific concern about the rapid decline in insect and arthropod populations across Europe.

 Their objective was to consider all the possible causes of the decline from the 1950s to the present time. This included the intensification of agriculture with its accompanying loss of natural habitats and massive use of pesticides and herbicides, the manifold increase in roads and motorized traffic, climate change, continent-wide nocturnal light pollution and other types of pollution and stress introduced by modernization.

 During their analysis, using a range of records and data sets, the group observed a significant escalation in the decline across most species beginning in the 1990s. This began in Western Europe, followed by Eastern and Southern Europe and presented as massive collapses of different species, genera and families of arthropods. These collapses additionally coincided with the severe decline of populations of different insectivorous bird species previously considered 'common' such as swallows, sparrows and shrikes.

 Without any a priori assumption privileged, and on the basis of existing studies, numerous observations in the field and extensive circumstantial evidence, the group concluded that a new generation of pesticides, the persistent, systemic and neurotoxic neonicotinoids, introduced in the mid 1990's, might be considered as one of the main causes of the escalation in decline.

 To test this, the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides was established to set about a systematic meta-analysis of all the available scientific studies of the effects of systemic pesticides on biodiversity and ecosystem services with a focus on pollinators and other non-target species.

 Social

 Contact

 General Enquiries

 enquiries.tfsp@gmail.com <mailto:enquiries.tfsp@gmail.com

 *The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides* is the response of the scientific community to concern around the impact of systemic pesticides on biodiversity and ecosystems. Its intention is to provide the definitive view of science to inform more rapid and improved decision-making.

 Links

 * The WIA <http://www.tfsp.info/worldwide-integrated-assessment/

 * About Us <http://www.tfsp.info/about-us/

 * Press <http://www.tfsp.info/press/

 * Resources <http://www.tfsp.info/resources/

 * Contact <http://www.tfsp.info/contact/

 (c) 2014 The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides

MUST READ FOR SALEM: How To Justify Spending $8m On Something Nobody Wants

Perfect description of local planner fantasy games. Objective costs and benefits for all are ignored in favor of pleasing the people with pull ($$), who want a giant bridge to restart the sprawl boom in Polk County.

http://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2014/9/9/how-to-justify-spending-8m-on-something-nobody-wants.html


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."