“The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century, The fact is that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 percent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees.” --UNEP executive director Achim Steiner
Mr. Steiner was responding to the following announcement from the United Nations:
GENEVA (AFP) – The UN on Thursday expressed alarm at a huge decline in bee colonies under a multiple onslaught of pests and pollution, urging an international effort to save the pollinators that are vital for food crops.
Much of the decline, ranging up to 85 percent in some areas, is taking place in the industrialised northern hemisphere due to more than a dozen factors, according to a report by the UN’s environmental agency.
They include pesticides, air pollution, a lethal pinhead-sized parasite that only affects bee species in the northern hemisphere, mismanagement of the countryside, the loss of flowering plants and a decline in beekeepers in Europe.
At what point are we going to pay attention?
At what point are we going to care?
When the food system totally breaks down?
Link to original post: United Nations Sounds Alarm Over Vanishing Bees
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/03/united-nations-sounds-alarm-over-vanishing-bees/
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4 comments:
Well, we could kill off a bunch of humans, lower our footprint on the planet.
What else would you suggest to save the food supply?
Eating less meat---all of us--would reduce some of the worst aspects of our footprint, for starters.
Second, use less pesticides.
Those two alone would help the bees, crops, water supply and so, ourselves, greatly.
If we don't quit altering the plant gene pool, adding to the woes of bees with chemicals and using food for gasoline... we will kill off a bunch of humans. Expecting Monsanto to tell us the unvarnished truth about the environmental effects of their crop seeds and chemicals is like getting John Edwards to admit it's his kid.... ain't easy.
I agree, HB. We're paying a whole lot of attention to profits and nearly none to the planet and bees and nature, more generally. We think too small. We figure if the Chinese are screwing up their side of the planet, that's one issue. In the meantime, we're doing our own damage.
T.C. Boyle was on Real Time with Bill Maher and while I think he's a bit "out there", it's his claim we're already too far along on trashing the planet, due at least to over population. Hopefully he's not correct.
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