Scientific understanding of insect sentience is rapidly evolving, with implications for the welfare of the estimated 10 quintillion individual insects alive at any time.
If insects experience even rudimentary forms of suffering, the scale of human-caused insect harm is almost incomprehensible. Pesticide exposure kills insects through various mechanisms including neurotoxic disruption and respiratory failure. Urban light pollution causes disorientation and death for billions of moths and other insects annually. Habitat destruction eliminates the resources billions of insects depend on. While scientific certainty about insect sentience remains elusive, the precautionary principle applied to the vast numbers of insects affected by human activity suggests taking potential insect welfare seriously. Research programs investigating insect sentience deserve support.