Bee-killing neonics could be approved for the next 15 years

Dear Friend, The American bumblebee has nearly vanished from 8 states. Help protect bees, other pollinators, and our planet: Donate $27 or more before midnight! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $5/month immediately]( Our food system is on the line, Friend. Bees are dying at alarming rates. If we don't act fast, many of the fruits, veggies, and nuts they pollinate could be GONE. Act fast to protect bees and our planet: [Donate $27 or more and help us reach our $4,300 goal before midnight!]( Bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides made by companies like Bayer-Monsanto are key drivers in this decline. Now, those same neonics could be approved by federal agencies for the next 15 years -- and by then, it may be too late for many vulnerable bees and other pollinators. The western bumble bee was once among the most abundant bee species in the nation. You could spot it anywhere from New Mexico to Alaska. But between 1998 and 2018, its population decreased by a staggering 93% -- completely vanishing from 8 states. Now, some research predicts that we may even lose an additional 97% of western bumble bee populations in the next 30 years! And it’s not the only species we could lose forever. Over 700 North American bee species are now at risk, and 40% of all insect pollinators face extinction in what scientists are calling a “pollinator apocalypse.” In fact, since the 1990s, U.S. agriculture has become 48 times more toxic to insect life -- and neonics like those that Bayer-Monsanto produce account for a staggering 92% of the increase in toxicity. We can’t allow this recklessness to continue! There is too much on the line -- stand up to the pesticide industry and help save bees, other critical pollinators, and our planet. Make your $27 or more donation today. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $5/month immediately]( Our food system is at serious risk as our bee populations continue to nosedive. After all, one in three bites of the food we eat depends on pollinators like bees. Bees are critical to our health and planet. Wild bees help keep ecosystems from forests to meadows functioning. Wild bees and honeybees are crucial to our food system. But the continued and increased use of toxic pesticides is not sustainable for our bees or our planet. Even honeybees are seeing declines. In the past, annual winter die-offs would come in at around 15%. Now, they are reaching 30-50% -- in some cases, up to 90%! The “insect apocalypse” will be here faster than we realize if we don’t act now. You may be one of the last people that shares the planet with many species of wild bees if pesticides made by companies like Bayer-Monsanto are allowed to continue wreaking devastation on our bees and other pollinators. The damage being done is clear. But pesticide giants like Bayer-Monsanto continue to funnel big money into disinformation efforts -- all to deny and distract from the role that their products play in bee deaths. They have operated this way for years, and our bees, our health, and our planet are paying for the consequences. Now is the time to stand up and demand action! Stop vulnerable bees from vanishing and protect our planet. Make your $27 donation to Friends of the Earth today. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $5/month immediately]( Friends of the Earth is fighting tooth and nail to ban neonics and other toxic bee-killing pesticides across the country. We are also pushing major grocers to stop selling food grown with bee-toxic pesticides. And we are campaigning to stop the sale of toxic weedkiller Roundup by garden retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s. This fight is not only for wild bees and other critically endangered pollinators but also for our health and for our planet. Many pesticides have been linked to health impacts like cancer, learning disabilities, and reproductive harm. And the disappearance of vast numbers of wild bees would devastate our ecosystems and food system. Yet toxic pesticides are being used across the country -- from our yards and gardens to massive corn fields -- and companies like Bayer-Monsanto are raking in profits, no matter the cost to bees and all of us. Time and again, pesticide companies have put their profits ahead of our health and the environment. It is up to us to make sure we shift away from toxic pesticides, transform our food system, and safeguard people, pollinators, and our planet. The choice is yours to make, Friend. I urge you to make your membership gift now and stand with us as we leverage everything we possibly can to save our bees and pollinators from this crisis and protect our planet before it’s too late. There is too much at stake to stand on the sidelines. Show your support by rushing your $27 donation to Friends of the Earth today. Our bees, health, and planet are on the line. Fight back against Big Ag and other Big Polluters, and make your $27 donation today! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $27 immediately]( [Donate $5/month immediately]( Standing with you, Kendra Klein Deputy director of science, 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]( © 2023, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]