Our pollinators are in peril

Dear Friend, Protect Western Bumblebees from bee-toxic pesticides: Donate $27 to help us reach our $2,053 donation goal by midnight TONIGHT! If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Western Bumblebees need your help. Over the last two decades, their population has dropped 93%. At the same time, pesticides called neonics have made agriculture more deadly to bees -- and the EPA could approve these pesticides for another 15 years. [Please, protect the bees and the planet now by donating $27 before it’s too late.]( Neonics can kill bees directly. Even when bees survive the exposure, the pesticides can impact their ability to navigate and reproduce. But companies like Bayer-Monsanto continue to produce and profit from bee-toxic neonics, pushing vulnerable bees further toward the brink each day. We can’t let this pattern continue -- we need supporters like you to help stop the reckless use of neonics and protect bees from an unimaginable fate. Don’t let Big Ag continue to profit from bee-toxic pesticides: Donate $27 to help us reach our $2,053 goal by midnight tonight to protect bees and the planet. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Bees play a crucial role in their ecosystems. Nearly 90% of flowering plant species on the planet require pollinators to aid in reproduction. These plants provide crucial habitat and food for countless other species. What’s more, one out of three bites of food we eat is pollinated by bees. If populations of bees and other vulnerable wild pollinators continue to spiral downward, foods like nuts, fruits, chocolate, and even coffee could become rarities. Bees are a canary in the coal mine, signaling that the toxic way we grow our food isn’t working. Scientists warn that we are on the verge of an “insect apocalypse,” which could severely affect food security and cause catastrophic ecological collapse. But Big Ag continues to underplay the effects of its toxic neonics on pollinators, people, and the planet. This reckless pursuit of profit is driving many wild bees and other pollinators toward extinction. The EPA could step up and ban these toxic pesticides -- but we need your help to push it to act. Protect vulnerable pollinators from an “insect apocalypse”: donate $27 before it’s too late. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Despite alarming impacts on bee populations, the use of bee-toxic neonics has dramatically increased in the past two decades. Since neonic pesticides were introduced in the 1990s, U.S. agriculture has become nearly 48 times more toxic for insects. These pesticides are also putting our health at risk. Neonics have been linked to hormone disruption and damage to babies’ developing brains. We don’t have much time to save our pollinators. Many species of wild bees are declining rapidly as the widespread use of bee-toxic pesticides continues. American bumblebees have already disappeared from 8 states -- and the decline doesn’t show signs of stopping. That’s why Friends of the Earth is doing everything we can to stand up to Big Ag and protect our pollinators. For example, during our recent Thanksgiving Week of Action, supporters like you sent a flood of messages to the country's largest supermarket to get pollinator-toxic pesticides out of our food system and delivered letters to stores in person. We’re also ramping up the pressure on the EPA to keep them from approving neonics. We stand at a tipping point in the fight to save our insect pollinators. The corporate interests driving this mass die-off are harming bees, our health, and our planet’s future for the sake of corporate greed. And time is running out to stop them. With your membership support today, Friend, we can build on our hard work and keep up the fight for vulnerable pollinators and our planet. Help stop bee-killing pesticides from wiping out pollinators. Make your $27 contribution and help us reach our goal of $2,053 by midnight. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $5/month immediately]( [Donate $27 immediately]( Standing with you, Lisa Archer Food and agriculture program director, Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us]( Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2022, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]