More than 40 species of pollinators are listed as threatened or endangered. And the monarch butterfly population has declined by 90% in just two decades (but it still has not received federal protection). One major culprit: a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.
That’s why Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Jim McGovern have reintroduced the Saving America’s Pollinators Act of 2021. This bill would protect pollinators from these dangerous pesticides by immediately canceling the registration of neonicotinoids.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are lethal to many pollinators, including bees. They cause nervous system problems in bees that stop them from pollinating and breeding. The U.S. lost more than 40 percent of its honeybee colonies between 2018 and 2019. Yet the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a history of allowing the use of bee-killing pesticides despite all the evidence that they cause harm to bees. This dangerous stance means that bee colonies will continue to suffer unless we act now.
One of every three bites of food we eat is from a crop pollinated by bees and other pollinators, including nearly 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables such as almonds, avocados, cranberries and apples. The Saving America’s Pollinators Act would protect our pollinators and food system from neonicotinoids. It would also direct the EPA to create a Pollinator Protection Board which would independently review pesticides for their threats to pollinators and habitats, and monitor pollinator populations — keeping dangerous pesticides from ever being used.
Losing our pollinators would be a disaster not just for our gardens but for our food supply. At Food & Water Action, we are doing everything we can to ban dangerous pesticides like neonicotinoids in order to protect pollinators and the food supply we all depend on — but we need your help.
Food & Water Action and its affiliated organization, Food & Water Watch, are advocacy groups with a common mission to protect our food, water and climate. This email was sent to [email protected] - and we're glad you got it, because it's one of the most important ways you can reclaim political power, hold elected officials accountable and resist corporate control.