Bee cautious – the Insect’s Elegy

There are some insects that are virtually indestructible. Cockroaches would even survive a nuclear war. Most insects, however, are not so resilient; quite the opposite. Their tiny bodies are far more sensitive to toxins and other adverse environmental factors than our own. Just as miners once took canaries along on their dangerous work, using the birds as an early warning system against oxygen deprivation and toxic gases, bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and the like can warn us when something is amiss on our planet. And they are warning us. Oases may still exist where, in spring and summer, the lush meadows and pastures teem with buzzing, humming, and fluttering life. Yet, almost everywhere else, the picture is vastly different. Insects are sounding the alarm. They do so by the fact that their numbers have plummeted. For a Central European in his mid-thirties, like the Consul, it is particularly unsettling to see how, in places that once teemed with insect life, one now catches only the occasional glimpse of a bee, a hoverfly, or a bumblebee. We are currently witnessing a mass extinction. A mass extinction of insects! Furthermore, insects increasingly appear disoriented, irrational, and utterly exhausted.

Climate change, toxins, and radiation are wiping these animals out. And what weakens, sickens, and kills insects cannot be good for humans in the long run, either. Furthermore, the mass extinction of insects will impact the ecosystem in an extremely negative way. In some regions of China, workers have long been taking over what is arguably the insects' most important job, painstakingly pollinating fruit tree blossoms by hand. No insects means no fruits, no vegetables! Without insects, many plants cannot reproduce. Moreover, the disappearance of insects will affect other animals as well; many bird species are losing their food source as a result. The ongoing extinction of insect species is a wake-up call for humanity. The current way human society is organized is destroying animals (and humans) in the long term. We need a shift toward more decentralized, nature-oriented, and sustainable policy approaches. Of course, the world cannot consist entirely of micronations. But micronations can lead the way. The organization of human society needs to become more decentralized, and cities must become greener. Monaco and Singapore are both extremely densely populated yet very green. In Monaco and Singapore, for instance, many rooftops and open spaces are used to grow trees, crops, and ornamental plants. Urban gardening works; we just have to do it. It can also help pull people out of "digital dementia" and foster more direct social interaction in the real world.

Urban gardening is also well-suited to organization at the neighborhood level. We need to place greater emphasis on healthy, less processed foods, and the use of pesticides must be limited or abolished. The "natural" form of human community is the village. Let us turn the world into an eco-village. This is possible, even in today's world, through a more decentralized policy approach. Whether it is a city, a district, a residential neighborhood, a special economic zone, a free city, a seastead, an autonomous region, a micronation, or an intentional community: A more decentralized and ecologically sustainable way of living together is possible.

Let us start now. If it is not (yet) possible on a large scale, then let us do it on a small scale, in our immediate surroundings. The Micronational Community can serve as a model for this necessary development and make a valuable contribution.