Cars have made us fat, diseased, cash-strapped, and disconnected from one another and ourselves. Now, thanks to air pollution caused by cars and power plants, we don’t even have the scent of flowers to appreciate. As National Geographic reports, the potency of the smell of flowers has been reduced by as much as 90%.
Maybe we shouldn’t care – we spend so much time isolated in our SUV’s that many of us likely wouldn’t even notice the “Scentless Spring.” Unfortunately, it’s not just a blow to humans’ olfactory pleasures – it’s a potentially debilitating blow to insects that rely on flowers such as bees and butterflies.
From National Geographic:
"This [pollution] makes it increasingly difficult for pollinators to locate the flowers [and feed on their nectar]."
Flowers also stand to suffer when this symbiotic relationship falters.
If insects can’t find enough flower-based food to survive, their movements won’t pollinate plant species.The odor-intense molecules which flowers produce are neutralized by ground-level ozone from auto emissions.
How much do we need to screw up our health and our world before we wake up and smell the diluted roses?
Photo vis flickr by JeremyHall.
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