Many drivers may understand feeling sad or frustrated over bugs splattered across the front of the car from regular use. In just a short trip to work and back or to run errands, your car could have countless tiny splatters across the windshield, hood and front bumper. But based on a new report in the UK, a decline in bug splatter on vehicles could be a troubling sign of rapidly declining insect populations.

The report is not the first to consider the so-called “windshield phenomenon” or “windshield anecdote,” a term coined by Canadian entomologist John Acorn in 2016. Acorn noted the experience of people driving along their regular routes, yet noticing fewer bug splatters than usual.

The latest 2024 Bugs Matter report, which tapped citizen science survey data from nature conservation charity Buglife, confirmed that this phenomenon had numbers to back it. According to the report, the number of bug splatters on vehicle license plates in the UK has declined 63% since 2021.

The 2024 Bugs Matter citizen science survey results are in, and they paint a concerning picture. Join the fight starting tomorrow, May 1 and download the free mobile app and contribute to our understanding of insect populations.

Full story here: kwtg.uk/3SbUquT
 
#BugsMatter #CitizenScience

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— Kent Wildlife Trust (@kentwildlife.bsky.social) April 30, 2025 at 5:59 AM

“This huge decrease in insect splats over such a short time is really alarming,” Lawrence Ball of the Kent Wildlife Trust said in a statement. “It’s most likely that we are seeing the compounding effects of both a background rate of decline as well as a short term cycle of decline, perhaps linked to the extreme climate in the UK in recent years.”

According to Ball, bug splatters declined 28% in 2022, 44% in 2023, and 8% in 2024. The highest decline from 2021 to 2024 occurred in Scotland, with a 65% drop, followed by Wales with 64% and England with 62%.

While the overall drop since 2021 is concerning, Ball explained that the trend could plateau in the future or reverse, should insect conservation efforts improve and succeed. The decline in bug splatters on vehicles should be a wakeup call to better protect insect populations, the report authors warned.

“The latest Bugs Matter data suggests that the abundance of flying insects in our countryside has fallen again,” Andrew Whitehouse, head of operations at Buglife, said in a statement. “The consequences are potentially far-reaching, not only impacting the health of the natural world, but affecting so many of the essential services that nature provides for us. Human activities continue to have a huge impact on nature, habitat loss and damage, pesticide use, pollution, and climate change all contribute to the decline in insects. Society must heed the warning signs of ecological collapse, and take urgent action to restore nature.”

Citizen scientists in the UK are being asked to participate in research for 2025. Participants can fill out their “splatometers” from May 1 to September 30 via a mobile app.

This is far from the first study to warn of declining insect populations. A study from 2020 showed that insect populations on land were declining by about 9% every decade. Separate research in 2021 showed that light pollution in particular had a profound impact on insects, leading to a 50% decline in moth caterpillar populations in areas of the UK. Again in 2021, scientists compiled several studies proving global decline of insect populations, a phenomenon that has been called the insect apocalypse.

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New research detailed in The Conversation provides five ways cities can better cope with and become more resilient to climate change through progressive climate adaptation.

The world’s societies, economies and ecosystems are under imminent threat from climate breakdown. But, due to what the United Nations has termed an “adaptation gap,” many countries and cities are perpetually unprepared, reported The Conversation.

“Building climate resilience is notoriously difficult. Economic barriers limit investment in infrastructure and technology. Social inequities undermine the capacity of vulnerable populations to adapt. And inconsistent policies impede coordinated efforts across sectors and at scale,” Paul O’Hare, a lecturer in human geography and urban development at England’s Manchester Metropolitan University, wrote in The Conversation.

O’Hare identified five ways cities can more effectively and progressively adapt and become more resilient to climate change.

The first is to not just “bounce back” following a crisis.

O’Hare said that when natural disasters like storms, floods and wildfires hit, governments often make rebuilding as quickly as possible the priority.

“Though understandable, resilience doesn’t just entail coping with the effects of climate change. Instead of ‘bouncing back’ to a pre-shock status, those in charge of responding need to encourage ‘bouncing forward,’ creating places that are at less risk in the first place,” O’Hare said.

Swales and sustainable urban drainage in Gorton climate-resilient park, Manchester, UK. Paul O’Hare, CC BY-NC-ND

The second resilience and adaptation strategy O’Hare recommended is to be “informed by risk.”

“It can be difficult to predict what the consequences of a crisis might be. Cities are complex, interconnected places. Transboundary risks – the consequences that ripple across a place – must be taken into account,” O’Hare wrote. “The best climate adaptation plans recognise that vulnerability varies across places, contexts and over time. The most effective are holistic: tailored to specific locations and every aspect of society.”

O’Hare said both climatic and non-climatic risk features must be considered in assessments.

“Many existing assessments have limited scope. But others do acknowledge how ageing infrastructures and pressures to develop land to accommodate ever intensifying urban populations exacerbate urban flood risk. Others too, such as the recently published Cambridge climate risk plan, detail how climate risk intersects with the range of services provided by local government,” O’Hare explained.

O’Hare said “systems thinking,” which looks at problems as part of larger, interconnected systems, can be used to identify mutually-dependent drivers of change.

“Good risk assessments will, for example, take note of demographics, age profiles and the socio-economic circumstances of neighbourhoods, enabling targeted support for particularly vulnerable communities. This can help ensure communities and systems adapt to evolving challenges as climate change intensifies, and as society evolves over time,” O’Hare said.

The third strategy is “transformative action.”

“There is no such thing as a natural disaster. The effects of disasters including floods and earthquakes are influenced by pre-existing, often chronic, social and economic conditions such as poverty or poor housing,” O’Hare said.

O’Hare explained that progressive climate resilience looks past immediate shocks to the underlying causes of inequality and vulnerability.

“This ensures that society is not only better prepared to withstand adverse events in the future, but thrives in the face of uncertainty,” O’Hare said.

The fourth recommendation by O’Hare is to use “collective approaches.”

“Effective climate resilience demands collective action. Sometimes referred to as a ‘whole of society’ response, this entails collaboration and shared responsibility to address the multifaceted challenges posed by a changing climate,” O’Hare wrote in The Conversation.

O’Hare said the most successful initiatives consider more broad and longer-term risks while avoiding self-protection of cities, buildings and people.

“For instance, developments not at significant risk should still incorporate adaptation measures including rainwater harvesting or enhanced greening to lower a city’s climate risk profile and benefit local communities, neighbouring authorities and surrounding regions,” O’Hare wrote. “So, progressive resilience is connected, comprehensive and inclusive. Solidarity is key, leveraging resources to address common challenges and fostering a sense of shared purpose and mutual support.”

The last strategy — which O’Hare says is the most effective — is to exploit co-benefits to leverage additional sector and policy benefits that reduce vulnerability to shocks while at the same time addressing other environmental and social challenges.

The United Nations refers to these as “multiple resilience dividends.”

“In northern Europe, for example, moorlands can be restored to retain water helping alleviate downstream flooding, but also to capture carbon and provide vital habitats for biodiversity,” O’Hare wrote. “In south-East Asia solar panels installed on reservoirs generate renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while providing shade to reduce evaporation and conserve water resources during droughts.”

O’Hare pointed out that, while adaptation is critical to tackling climate change worldwide, “the real challenge is to deal with the impacts of climate change while simultaneously creating communities that are fairer, healthier, and better equipped to face any manner of future risks.”

The findings of the study, “Not ‘just’ climate adaptation — towards progressive urban resilience,” were published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

“Climate breakdown poses immense — potentially existential — threats to global economies, societies, and ecosystems. Mitigation must be pursued with vigour. However, given the consensus regarding the inevitability of climate change, and the doom-laden predictions of its impacts, adaptation is urgent,” O’Hare wrote in the study.

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According to a new analysis by Swiss Re Institute, insured natural catastrophe losses globally could reach $145 billion this year, primarily driven by “secondary perils” such as floods, wildfires and severe thunderstorms.

This follows a five to seven percent long-term annual growth trend, the institute said.

The report, Natural catastrophes: insured losses on trend to USD 145 billion in 2025, said “primary perils” such as earthquakes and hurricanes pose the biggest risks, potentially pushing insured losses to $300 billion-plus during a peak year.

“2025 started with wildfires in Los Angeles, causing an estimated USD 40 billion in insured losses. While these losses from a secondary peril are substantial, primary perils remain the biggest threat: when a severe hurricane or strong earthquake hits a densely populated urban area, insured losses in that year could be more than double the long-term loss trend,” a press release from Swiss Re Institute said.

The last peak year was in 2017, driven by Hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria. The institute said peak years caused by a few “primary-peril events” or an accumulation of those and “secondary-peril events,” should not be viewed as an anomaly.

Since 2017, underlying risks have grown consistently, along with population growth, economic expansion and urban sprawl, including in places vulnerable to natural catastrophes. The effects of climate change are also playing a part in compounding losses for certain weather perils and regions.

“Our recent analysis of over 200 in-house models and the loss trend over the last 30 years show what is at stake: When a severe hurricane or a major earthquake hits an urban area in a country with significant insurance take-up, insured losses could easily reach USD 300 billion in that year,” said Balz Grollimund, head of catastrophe perils at Swiss Re, in the press release.

Estimates by the institute have found that some early 20th century hurricanes would result in losses of more than $100 billion if they struck today. Hurricane Andrew, for example, caused $35 billion in losses to those insured in 1992. Today, a hurricane on the same path would result in nearly three times the losses because of economic and population growth, as well as urban sprawl.

“Meanwhile, Hurricane Katrina, the costliest single insured loss event for the re/insurance industry ever, would not cause the same destruction as 20 years ago. Insured losses would still reach around USD 100 billion due to rising housing and construction costs, but improved flood defences and a 20% decrease in local population along Katrina’s path have significantly reduced exposure,” the press release said.

Although the severity of losses has been increasing globally, the United States accounted for nearly 80 percent of the world’s insured losses last year because of its vulnerability to severe hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, thunderstorms and floods.

There are many factors that inform insurance premium rates, including inflation and local regulations. But across geographies over the long-term, the primary factor in determining the cost of premium rates and claims is the exposure to natural perils.

This is apparent in states like Texas, Florida, California, Colorado and Louisiana, which make up roughly half of all U.S. natural catastrophe losses. With its high hurricane-related losses, Florida’s per-household premiums are twice the national average. Meanwhile, the highest premiums in California are in areas that have the most exposure to wildfire risk.

“Close collaboration between the public and private sectors is vital for effective protection measures to reduce losses. In addition, a well-capitalised reinsurance sector, backed by USD 500 billion in capital, acts as a vital shock absorber, helping communities and economies recover more quickly. That is why it is important that capital grows in line with rising risk, for the industry to fulfil their role for future peak years,” said Jérôme Haegeli, group chief economist at Swiss Re.

Last year, insurance losses due to natural catastrophes worldwide climbed to $137 billion, driven by major floods and wildfires worldwide; Hurricanes Milton and Helene; and severe thunderstorms in the U.S.

“As natural catastrophe losses continue to rise, it is crucial to reduce loss potential from the outset, both to reduce the cost of insurance and to maintain the viability of risk transfer business. For example, severe storms can overwhelm local protection systems and cause flooding, and while mitigation measures come at a price, a recent Swiss Re Institute study shows that flood protection through dykes, dams and flood gates is up to ten times more cost-effective than rebuilding after a disaster,” the press release said.

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