Herbicides

Die Biologin Rachel Carson begann ihr berühmt gewordenes Buch einst mit einem Zukunftsmärchen. Sie schildert eine Stadt inmitten blühender Obstgärten. Entlang der Straßen entzücken Schneeballsträucher, hohe Farne und wilde Blumen das Auge. Die Vogelwelt ist artenreich, in den Bächen tummeln sich Fische. Doch dann rafft eine seltsame, schleichende Seuche Mensch und Tier dahin. Bäume und Blüten verkümmern. Die wenigen, noch übrig gebliebenen Vögel zittern und können nicht mehr singen. Es sei ein „stummer Frühling“, gewesen, schreibt sie in ihrem gleichnamigen, 1962 erschienenen Buch.

An overwhelming majority of surveyed farmers are concerned about the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger and believe it will have a negative impact on independent farmers and farming communities, a poll released on March 6 has found.

Denmark is facing a historic pollution case as it has been revealed that every tenth test sample taken from almost 1,700 wells reveals a level of pesticide residue that is considered too high. As a result, a number of wells have been closed due to the concerns. In its report on the issue, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) found unusually high concentrations and a broad geographic occurrence, establishing that the pesticide residue Desphenylchloridazone is prevalent in the groundwater – in open land and in drinking water wells.

Die Menschen in den Industrieländern werden immer dümmer – das ergab jetzt eine besorgniserregende Studie britischer Forscher. Angeblich soll das Team um den englischen Forscher Edward Dutton herausgefunden haben, dass der IQ in vielen westlichen Nationen alle zehn Jahre um etwa zwei Punkte gesunken ist. Für ihr Ergebnis haben Dutton & Co. die Daten von skandinavischen Soldaten untersucht, die bei der Einstellung in den Militärdienst einen Intelligenztest absolvieren mussten.

In a study of 26 rivers and streams across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland carried out by the Environment Agency and its regional equivalents, the Somerhill Stream had the third highest concentration of the chemicals, after the River Waveney in Norfolk and the River Tame in the West Midlands. The stream in Tonbridge that flows into the River Medway has emerged as the third worst in the country for neonicotinoid pollution, threatening its insect population. Other Kentish rivers such as The Medway and The Beult were not among those tested.

Pesticides are a convenient way to get rid of the pests in our homes and gardens and on the farms that grow the food we eat. Yet, the increased use of pesticides has been linked to a number of serious health risks. Some pesticides are irritating to the skin and eyes. Others, including organophosphates, have been linked to nervous system damage and to the development of Parkinson's disease. Pesticide exposure has also been associated with a greater risk for some cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Few groups of insects have been surveyed over a very long period (50 years or more) in an area. Three groups were considered here meeting the long survey condition: ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), ground Scelionidae (Hymenoptera) and species of Tenthredo (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae). The diversity of ground beetles in agricultural sites around Ottawa (Ontario) and Montreal (Quebec) has been markedly reduced during the 1980s and 1990s. During the same period we witnessed the collapse of other insect groups outside agricultural sites.

Im Rahmen der Internationalen Grünen Woche forderten Deutschlands größter Naturschutzverband NABU und Deutschlands größter ökologischer Anbauverband Bioland am heutigen Donnerstag gemeinsam eine Neuausrichtung der Europäischen Agrarpolitik (GAP). „Verbraucher, Landwirte und die Umwelt brauchen einen Umbau der EU-Agrarförderung. Eine Politik des Weiter-So darf es nicht geben“, waren sich NABU-Präsident Olaf Tschimpke und Bioland-Präsident Jan Plagge einig.