Climate Change 2022: EPA's New Mosquito Program Another Reason Why Supreme Court Needs To Intervene

****The Los Angeles Times recently pickup up news about the California shipment of mosquitoes that are waiting to be released.  They also have questions about the viability of this course of action. 

A world without mosquitoes!!  Sounds great from a human perspective but do people hate mosquitoes enough to risk creating a disconnect in the natural food chain that would see small species die out in as little as a few months?  The EPA thinks that potential benefits out weigh the risks but for those who respect Mother Nature's wrath, the concern is very real. 

In a press release recently sent to major news outlets (See version on USAToday here), the EPA is again flexing its regulatory muscles to bypass long standing species safeguards to enhance the current administration's virus eradication policies.  Using virus transmission by mosquitoes as justification (COVID-19 is NOT carried by mosquitoes, just to be clear), 2 billion genetically altered male mosquitoes are set to be released  into parts of Florida and California.  Like the administration's COVID-19 response, the agency is moving ahead against the advice of  those with experience in the field and using short-term, questionable findings as proof the program is safe.  Is it any wonder that the Supreme Court is considering the constitutional authority of this stand-alone agency that does a President's bidding.

Another Example of Faulty Science

 In the same way that COVID-19 vaccine data was skewed by its testing in lock down, this program has limited data taken during summertime in the Florida Keys.  As with any environmental issue, the network of factors that impact the number of these pesky flyers is impossible to gauge using computer modeling and simple numbers.  While it might be true the these males may compromise the reproductive potential in the lab, there is no proof that a reduction in mosquito populations was related only to the introduction of this Jurassic style experiment. 

To be clearer, mosquitoes only reproduce under specific conditions. It first has to be very wet but not stormy, then it has to be very hot and very dry for their life cycle to come full circle.  Any alteration in that weather pattern would disrupt the number of bugs during a season.  The regular passage of storms and hurricanes through the Keys during last summer would have churned up the waters and kept eggs and larva from reaching maturity.  This study's conclusion may have had nothing to do with the genetically altered males.  Other factors that could come into play are undocumented oil slicks, residents use of pesticides or environmentally friendly traps.  Add the potential for a larger number of small amphibians such as frogs and lizards as well as migratory birds (these species LOVE to catch mosquitoes in mid flight) and you have a fatally flawed study that cost tax payers big dollars and has the potential to starve out several small species that rely on mosquitoes for food. 

Bird Die Off Already a Reality

In the same way that the Jurassic Park franchise continues to bring horror and seemingly impossible events to the big screen (currently seven films), messing with the bottom of the food chain may have scarier results than screenwriters could ever imagine.  A single male blown off course during a hurricane or hitching a ride in the family SUV back from the Keys could potentially wipe out the mosquito population in any number of places up and down the East Coast impacting any number of species from fish to frogs to finches. 

The most shocking part of this sci-fi scenario is that the EPA likely did not notify any wildlife agency to be on the lookout for a sudden drop in mosquitoes or those species that rely on them so heavily.  The bottom line is that bugs, in abundance during the spring and summer months are essential foods for young, fledgling birds (young adults) who are making the transition between being cared for by their parents and being on their own. Unlike human society, the term "leave the nest" is more than just a location change but requires birds to be able to find and eat enough bugs over the summer to keep them alive until fall harvest when grass and weed seeds become available.  Seeds are great winter foods but do not always provide enough protein for young birds to survive. In the end, this project could cause a widespread die-off of this year's crop of young birds with no way to replace its needed protein.  Short-sighted, conclusion driven studies have ruined the environment and may cause more harm than good. 

Good Reasons to Back off

By now, science is beginning to emerge which questions many of the policies put forth by the EPA over the last fifty years. From a sulfur deficient atmosphere which also impacts wildlife's ability to produce protein for young animals and the widespread use of chemicals to kill off insects and plants in the environment, it is a wonder that mankind can feed itself.  This may be one mistake that it will take a decade or more to undo with the cost of millions to start it and more millions to undo its negative effects.  

FACT:  A mosquitoes life cycle is estimated at just 10 days long.  Sterilization of mosquitoes could mean a lack of food for millions of songbirds who are just emerging from their nests in May and June.  Starvation is a horrible way to die, especially when an agency that is tasked with the environment's protection is the guilty party.  

Can we afford to have the EPA protecting the environment any longer?