U.N. Report: Honeybee Die-Off Is Now a Global Problem

A recent United Nations report shows that honeybees are flying against some serious challenges. The pollinators are declining at unprecedented rates in countries across the globe. In other words, Colony Collapse Disorder is not just an American problem.

The report also points out the fact that if people don't make some drastic changes soon, the species responsible for pollinating our food supply will continue its quick decline. Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, has said, "Of the 100 crop species that provide 90 percent of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees." In the year 2000 alone, the value of crops pollinated by bees was estimated at $14.6 billion — and that's only accounting for the U.S. food supply!

If that's not a wake up call, I don't know what is. In fact, the global honeybee decline is being called the "sixth major extinction."

The pollinators are up against a long list of hurdles: the world-wide spread of fungal pathogens, loss of the habitat that supports the plants that they pollinate, pollution blocking scent trails, global warming affecting flowering plants, the spread of pests, and of course, the increasing use of dangerous pesticides.

The report asks for a holistic approach to the problem and offers an interesting solution: incentives for farmers to plant pollinator-friendly habitats next to crop-producing fields. You can read the entire report here (PDF).

Perhaps the most troubling news of the report is that bee decline is now a world-wide phenomenon. China, Japan and Egypt are all seeing the beginning signs of the colony collapse that the U.S. and Europe have experienced in recent years.

This report makes it increasingly clear that we need to quickly change our ways to protect our pollinators. Without them, we have no chance to meet the food needs of a growing, global population. Urban beekeeping is one good solution, but we can't continue to let pesticides sabotage the species.

One pesticide that's suspected of causing bee mortality is clothianidin, a chemical used by many U.S. farmers. Join Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) in telling the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban this bee-killing pesticide. Clothianidin has already been outlawed in Germany, Italy, and France. What is the EPA waiting for — even more proof that the world's pollinators are dying off? Sign PANNA's petition, and tell the EPA to step up and protect our pollinators and our food supply.

Photo credit: JKD Atlanta via Flickr