We can and must save our pollinators from extinction
The latest Western bumblebee numbers are in, and the situation is urgent. Over the last 20 years, their numbers have plummeted 93%.
Not long ago, the Western Bumblebee was one of the most common bee species in the U.S., ranging from New Mexico’s deserts to the Alaskan tundra. Today, this once-common pollinator is fighting for survival. And it’s not the only pollinator we could lose forever — 40 percent of invertebrate pollinators are at risk of extinction.
And study after study has found that the massive use of pesticides, like Bayer-Monsanto’s bee-toxic neonicotinoids and its weed-killer glyphosate, aka Roundup®, is a key driver of the decimation of pollinators. Bees and other pollinators are “canaries in the coal mine” — warning us that toxic, pesticide intensive industrial agriculture is driving us toward ecological disaster.
We can and must save our pollinators from extinction. Rush a $50 donation to Friends of the Earth and help save bees from toxic pesticides.
The latest U.S. Geological Survey findings about the Western Bumblebee’s decline show that the situation is more dire than ever. The decline in pollinators, alongside a deliberate rollback of environmental protections aimed to benefit Big Ag, is setting us up for food security problems and ecosystem collapse on a scale we’ve never seen.
The good news? The solutions are right in front of us. Decades of research have found that ecological agriculture can feed us all as we protect our pollinators and planet. That’s why we are fighting for a future where organic food free from toxic pesticides is the norm for everyone.
Support our work to rapidly shift to organic, ecologically regenerative agriculture that protects people and pollinators from toxic pesticides. Donate $50 to Friends of the Earth today.
Friends of the Earth is at the forefront of a people-driven, strategic, multi-pronged campaign to shift away from toxic pesticides. We’ve passed pesticide bans in states across the country, we’ve successfully pressured the garden industry to move away from pollinator-toxic pesticides, and we have a roadmap to continue to shift the market and pass crucial new legislation and vital protections this year and beyond.
But we’re up against powerful opponents in the pesticide industry. As pesticide giants like Bayer-Monsanto merge, they have even more money to lobby against new bee-saving regulations.
Scientists are warning that if we don’t take action soon to protect our pollinators and shift away from toxic pesticides, we could face ecological collapse. It is our duty to act before it’s too late — and in taking action, we can build a world that’s better for farmers and farmworkers, better for pollinators, and better for all of us.
