Dear Mr. Ban Ki-Moon,
Noble Ladies and Gentlemen; heads of the democratically elected governments of the world,
Since 2006, under the name of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), more than one-third of the bee populations have vanished each year in more than fifteen countries around the world. Various studies are strongly suggesting that sub-lethal doses of neonicotinoids are the main cause of CCD. These pesticides are believed to compromise the immunity of bees and make them extremely susceptible to various factors such as diseases, varroa mites and other stresses.
We the undersigned are extremely concerned of these disappearances as bees are vital to our food supply, biodiversity and economy.
- Agriculturally, 35% of our food supply depends on bees. In other words, crop yields could plunge as much as 90%. As a result, most fruits, vegetables and nuts will no longer exist. Even dairy products are at risk as dairies use alfalfa (pollinated by bees) as a protein-rich feed for dairy cows. Consequently, extreme dietary restriction will lead to malnutrition. As proven by historian Jared Diamond, diminishing food supply is a primary factor for collapsed societies. If this were to occur, a Malthusian situation would inevitably sweep across the planet, as food production would no longer match population growth.
- Ecologically, bees play a crucial role. Bees are responsible for more than 50% of the flowering plant ecosystem, of which 20,000 plant species entirely rely on bees to sustain it. More importantly, this shows that bees are crucial to the reproduction of plants. Naturally, these species are a preeminent factor in biodiversity. In effect, human survival is threatened because biodiversity provides us with the basic life supporting systems.
- Economically, the light of the bee threatens a global financial crisis. Bees contribute over $215 billion to the world-wide economy. Shockingly, last year's bee disappearances projected an alarming $12 billion effect on the United States' agricultural economy alone. Therefore, the shortage of food can threaten an immense global trade deficit based on worthless food stocks and global economic markets. Multibillion dollar food corporations are at risk.
As many countries in Europe have already done, we urge you all to ban the use of neonicotinoids in order to protect the bees and ultimately, ourselves. We also urge you to further promote organic management and Integrated Pest Management in all natural environments.
Honey bees are extremely valuable to us, and their diminishing numbers need attention now. Please do as much as you can to ensure that the bees will be saved.
