Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Strange Reversal

South Africa has suffered a severe drought. This has delivered a surprise. In the Eastern Cape, farm labourers report that they now see insects and birds which they have not seen in twenty years. Some, they have not seen in their lives. A big insect flew into a labourer's cottage I was visiting, and bumped against the window. Someone said: "Look at that one! I've never seen it before!" I asked what was causing this. A labourer explained it like this: "The farmers have not been able to plant crops -- a few years in a row now. Therefore they have not used pesticides. Therefore the insects and birds are back."

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