"Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever."
- Joy Adamson

Mankind does not live in isolation. No matter how many milestones we achieve, we must not forget that the Earth belongs to every living being that thrives upon it. And if our progress does not protect the fellow species that we share our planet with, then our very idea of progress warrants a serious and much-needed reflection.

Over billions of years, the Earth has woven a delicate and awe-inspiringly complex web of life, of which human beings are but one part. The rest of this natural order consists of billions of species of plants, trees, animals, birds, insects, marine life, and more. And while this web is a resilient one, it needs to strike a balance for life to thrive.  

Over the last few decades, this delicate balance has increasingly faced disruption in the form of high EMF radiation exposure. We’ve been witnessing a steady rise in the level of EMF radiation in our environment. The meteoric explosion in the use of cellphones, laptops, and other wireless devices has led to the proliferation of wireless radiation across the world. And with the impending rollout of 5G technology, the exposure levels are all set to increase up to nine times. Let that sink in.. 

Not only does this have crucial consequences for human health, but it has a cascading effect on our planet’s wildlife as well. Today, let us take a closer look at how EMF radiation and 5G technology could impact the health of our planet’s wildlife. 

The Earth’s Delicate, Natural Electromagnetic Balance

We’ve often said that not all radiation should be assumed to be harmful. The light of our sun - the giver of life - after all, is nothing but a form of radiation! The crucial bit of information that is missing to mainstream science, is that it is not just heat that can cause vibrational disharmony to all organic life. There is another quality which can do harm and we call it 'balance' and 'centredness' of the electrical wave field.

It’s crucial to know that life has evolved to adapt and thrive only in wave fields that are balanced and centred, like the Sun. If a wave field is imbalanced and uncentred, this will lead to dissonance, which leads to decay, which leads to death. 

German biologist Dr. Ulriche Warnke has spent the majority of his career studying the Earth’s natural electromagnetic field, and its importance in the evolution and continuation of life. In a paper published by Dr. Warnke on the effects of Electrosmog on wildlife, he states that all living organisms on our planet have evolved to adapt specifically to survive and thrive in Earth's natural electromagnetic field. 

A large variety of bacteria, algae, insects, vertebrae, fish, birds, and bees have evolved and depended on this electromagnetic field to migrate across vast distances and to carry out vital life functions.  

Potential Disruption Of Widlife’s Natural Order By EMF Radiation

The adaptation of living organisms on Earth to leverage a specific set of electromagnetic frequencies to thrive and carry out important life functions has happened slowly - over billions of years. 

So what happens if we disturb this natural balance with the increasing levels of manmade radiation? Almost instinctively, you know that the answer is going to involve a serious disruption.

Omnia's friend Helen Millar runs a holistic health coaching website. One of the courses she runs teaches us how to communicate with trees. Here are the messages she receives:

“One of the key messages I have been told repeatedly by trees, is to always turn my phone off (at least airplane mode) when wanting to connect with their energy, especially if wishing to talk to them, or receive healing.  If I ever try to work with a tree and have forgotten to turn my phone off, it will always remind me; trees don't like the frequencies our phones emit.  By turning your device off you are showing respect for the tree and making it easier for you to have a much deeper experience.”

Not only do phones cut us off from our organic, natural selves but also from nature too and if we could all learn to listen to our bodies and to the trees more, we might be taking very different decisions in our lives.

Let’s take a look at how EMF radiation poses a danger to our wildlife:

Man-Made Radiation’s Impact On Honey Bees

In 2011, acclaimed British environmental journalist Geoffery Lean published a piece in The Independent discussing the link between cellphone radiation and the colony collapse disorder that was being observed among honeybees. Apart from receiving global attention, the piece was based on years of scientific evidence.

Two studies - one conducted as far back as 1975 and another in 2010 -  revealed that exposing bees to artificially created electric fields such as cellphone radiation caused significant restlessness and serious disruption in their behavior, navigation, learning, and functioning of the bee colony. After only a few days of exposure, the levels of pollen and honey were significantly depleted, and rearing of no new broods was observed. 

The exposure also caused young bees to abandon the colony, and older bees to plug the exposed areas of the colony with propolis. This caused significant overheating of the colony over time, causing its destruction.

Another study conducted with DECT cordless phone EMF fields saw that the area and weight development of the colonies of exposed bees was much slower than that of unexposed bees. Moreover, it was seen that a 5-day exposure to EMF radiation caused little to no bees to return to their hives. This is because bees have magnetite in their bodies that helps them navigate. They have developed sensitivity to the Earth’s natural electromagnetic variations, but any variation outside of typical limits can disrupt their navigational capability and learning behavior.  

Impact On Birds

A study conducted in spring 2006 analyzed the number of male house sparrows and the strength of electromagnetic radiation from GSM stations at 150 similar locations across Gent, Belgium. The study found a highly significant negative effect of electric field strength on the number of house sparrow males. 

Furthermore, this negative effect was seen both for 900 MHz (used for land mobile communication) and 1800 Mhz (the most popular global band for LTE), and the sum of these frequency bands. 

Another study conducted at Punjab University revealed that only 5 to 30 minutes of exposure to wireless radiation could lead to the disfiguration of sparrow eggs. 

Other studies have also found that exposure to EMF radiation could impact bird nesting behavior as well as disrupt their migratory patterns. 

Impacts on Other Animals 

Several studies have shown that exposure of animals to low-level, long-term man-made radiation may affect the immunity, hormonal function, blood composition, and nervous system of animals. Furthermore, RF exposure has also been seen to lead to chromosomal abnormality and faulty cell division in animals. 

A study to evaluate the impact of radiofrequency on cats and rabbits showed altered cardiac activity (measured by EEG) and desynchronization after exposure to an amplitude-modulated RF field.

How Insects are Impacted by EMF 

Several species of insects, such as ants, butterflies, and flies have the ability to detect very low levels of electromagnetic fields. In fact, they use this ability to orient themselves and navigate. As a result, exposure of insects to extremely low-frequency (ELF) EMF radiation can cause a disruption to their behavior, navigation, and motor activities. This has been demonstrated by a scientific study conducted in 2016 on the impact of ELF EMF radiation on locusts. 

Exposure of Insects to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields from 2 to 120 GHz (photo courtesy of Nature.com) 

Marine Life

Several marine species, such as several types of fish, lobsters, turtles, sharks, and stingrays, possess sensitive organs that have evolved to pick up electric fields. When these species navigate, they come across induced electric fields of varying strengths. Their highly sensitive organs detect these electrical fields, which then helps them orient, communicate and navigate. 

Studies have shown that these marine animals are unable to differentiate between natural electric fields and the ones produced by EMF radiation. This can then lead to a permanent disturbance in their feeding, migratory, and breeding habits. Over time, this can threaten the population of the marine species, and the health of the ecosystem they live in. 

5G: The Potential Impact On Wildlife

We have written extensively on the potential consequences of 5G radiation on human health as well as the environment. 5G technology utilizes high-frequency millimeter waves to transmit signals - this frequency has never before been used in such a magnitude in our environment.  Moreover, 5G frequencies will require a whopping 100 cellphone towers to offer the same coverage that took 29 towers for 4G technology. If the current EMF radiation levels are having such serious effects on our wildlife, the rollout of 5G technology can amplify these effects manifold.

Final Thoughts

Scientific evidence demonstrating the serious effects of EMF radiation on our wildlife is overwhelming. With cell phone towers being erected in even the most remote locations on Earth, the safety of our fellow animals, birds, and insects is in peril. 

5G emerges as the ultimate symbol of man's self-absorption and it is highly capable of bringing about man's destruction too. 

The first step to solving an issue is to empower yourself with the right information - because knowledge is power. Share this piece with all the animal and nature lovers you know to help spread awareness. There is strength in numbers, and we can make a change by staying informed, open-minded and vigilant. 

And remember... you are an organic animal too. 

References & Interesting Reads:

• Bees, birds, and mankind 
• Changes in honeybee behavior and biology under the influence of cellphone radiations
• Impact of EMF Radiation on Learning Abilities of Insects 
• Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Impacts on Elasmobranch (shark, rays, and skates) and American Lobster Movement
• [The influence of electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna]
• Exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields alters the behavior, physiology and stress protein levels of desert locusts
• Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?
• ​​WN 620 81RA
• Perception and Behavioral Effects of Electromagnetic Fields - Assessment of the Possible Health Effects
• Impact EMF radiation from GSM base stations on the population of male house sparrows
• Can Electromagnetic Exposure Cause a Change in Behaviour?