Researchers are exploring genetic techniques, including a method known as a "gene drive," that could theoretically wipe out entire mosquito species by engineering a trait — such as sterility in females — to spread through a population within months. The approach has appeal given that mosquito-borne diseases kill around 600,000 people annually from malaria alone, mostly children under five, with climate change pushing tropical pathogens further into Europe. However, ecologists warn that mosquitoes play significant ecological roles — filtering water as larvae, pollinating plants (including cacao, which relies exclusively on one mosquito species), and forming up to 90% of the diet of some fish and amphibian species — and that once a gene drive is released, it cannot be recalled, meaning a single country could unilaterally trigger a global extinction event.