Major declines in insect biomass and diversity, reviewed here, have become obvious and well documented since the end of World War II. Here, we conclude that the spread and intensification of agriculture during the past half century is directly related to these losses. In addition, many areas, including tropical mountains, are suffering serious losses because of climate change as well. Crops currently occupy about 11% of the world’s land surface, with active grazing taking place over an additional 30%. The industrialization of agriculture during the second half of the 20th century involved farming on greatly expanded scales, monoculturing, the application of increasing amounts of pesticides and fertilizers, and the elimination of interspersed hedgerows and other wildlife habitat fragments, all practices that are destructive to insect and other biodiversity in and near the fields. Some of the insects that we are destroying, including pollinators and predators of crop pests, are directly beneficial to the crops. In the tropics generally, natural vegetation is being destroyed rapidly and often replaced with export crops such as oil palm and soybeans. To mitigate the effects of the Sixth Mass Extinction event that we have caused and are experiencing now, the following will be necessary: a stable (and almost certainly lower) human population, sustainable levels of consumption, and social justice that empowers the less wealthy people and nations of the world, where the vast majority of us live, will be necessary.

自第二次世界大战结束以来，昆虫生物量和多样性的主要下降已变得显而易见，并有据可查。在这里，我们得出结论，过去半个世纪中农业的传播和集约化与这些损失直接相关。此外，由于气候变化，包括热带山区在内的许多地区也遭受了严重损失。目前，农作物约占世界陆地面积的11％，活跃放牧的面积超过了30％。20世纪下半叶的农业工业化涉及大规模扩张的农业，单一种植，使用越来越多的农药和化肥，以及消除散布的树篱和其他野生动植物栖息地碎片，破坏田间及附近昆虫和其他生物多样性的所有做法。我们正在破坏的某些昆虫，包括农作物害虫的授粉媒介和天敌，对农作物直接有利。在热带地区，自然植被正在迅速被破坏，并经常被油棕和大豆等出口作物所取代。为了减轻我们已经造成并正在经历的第六次大规模灭绝事件的影响，以下几点将是必要的：稳定的（并且几乎肯定是更低的）人口，可持续的消费水平以及赋予贫困人口权力的社会正义我们绝大多数人居住的世界各国将是必要的。直接对农作物有利 在热带地区，自然植被正在迅速被破坏，并经常被油棕和大豆等出口作物所取代。为了减轻我们已经造成并正在经历的第六次大规模灭绝事件的影响，以下几点将是必要的：稳定的（并且几乎肯定是更低的）人口，可持续的消费水平以及赋予贫困人口权力的社会正义我们绝大多数人居住的世界各国将是必要的。直接对农作物有利 在热带地区，自然植被正在迅速被破坏，并经常被油棕和大豆等出口作物所取代。为了减轻我们已经造成并正在经历的第六次大规模灭绝事件的影响，以下几点将是必要的：稳定的（并且几乎肯定是更低的）人口，可持续的消费水平以及赋予贫困人口权力的社会正义我们绝大多数人居住的世界各国将是必要的。