The Future Of Life Wilson Summary

In a world where many countries are facing food shortages because of drought, flooding, overpopulation, and wildfire; one must consider the diminishing role of natural pollinators, such as bees, in agriculture. Edward O. Wilson discusses food supply shortages within his book, The Future of Life, and his view of solutions to the problems he discusses. In the idea of environmentalism, there are different aspects that can be looked at when correcting the future of food supply and its upcoming shortages. Wilson states that if “industrialized populations move down the food chain to a more vegetarian diet, or the agricultural yield of productive land worldwide is increased,” (Wilson 33) then the food shortage might not become an issue. One aspect that Wilson seems to have not taken
Of course, the killing of bees is one aspect that can cause problems. Factors that can affect the species are: climate changes, parasites and mites, importation of foreign bees, among other things. One of the major concerns in bee population is Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. “Seemingly healthy bees were simply abandoning their hives en masse, never to return. Researchers are calling the mass disappearance Colony Collapse Disorder, and they estimate that nearly one-third of all honey bee colonies in the United States have vanished” (Sass). Bees seemingly vanishing can come from many different factors. As local South Carolina Apiary owner, Adelma Gregory-Bunnell, had to deal with, her bees just abandoned their hand-built hive and did not return to the same location. Gregory-Bunnell had to clean, rebuild, and import new bees in hopes that the remaining population of her apiary would return and join into the new colony. The issue that arises from this is that the new bees can identify an intruder and usually will kill off all outside populations