A Cornell University
study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14
billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States, mostly fruits,
vegetables and nuts. “Every third bite we consume in our diet is
dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning,
vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.
The above statement, and the graph supporting it, are the type of story that should trouble us greatly. Instead of talking about oil for a moment, lets look at some other aspects of a changing climate - and that is the shifting of viable large scale food production.
The bees, as seen from the above chart, are responsible for pollinating a large amount of the foodstuffs that we consume; more than that, they are indicators of the general health of our environment.
Now, don't get me wrong - in the long run, we can't do much to hurt the planet. What we can do is make things bad for us and other species which share this planet in the short run.
Society has come a long way, but in any society as large as ours, and so dependent on technology and energy to transport food, it has weaknesses. Famine is an age old problem for humanity, and our modern society will not necessarily protect us from it.
The bees, like many small things, are an indicator that we need to take seriously - one small thing or another may not make much difference, but we are seeing to many small things, and they are all pointing in the same direction.
Like to many things, we need to start treating these matters with the seriousness that they deserve; Catrina and the gulf coast destruction is a timely reminder, but one which we seem to be ignoring.
study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14
billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States, mostly fruits,
vegetables and nuts. “Every third bite we consume in our diet is
dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food,” said Zac Browning,
vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.
The above statement, and the graph supporting it, are the type of story that should trouble us greatly. Instead of talking about oil for a moment, lets look at some other aspects of a changing climate - and that is the shifting of viable large scale food production.
The bees, as seen from the above chart, are responsible for pollinating a large amount of the foodstuffs that we consume; more than that, they are indicators of the general health of our environment.
Now, don't get me wrong - in the long run, we can't do much to hurt the planet. What we can do is make things bad for us and other species which share this planet in the short run.
Society has come a long way, but in any society as large as ours, and so dependent on technology and energy to transport food, it has weaknesses. Famine is an age old problem for humanity, and our modern society will not necessarily protect us from it.
The bees, like many small things, are an indicator that we need to take seriously - one small thing or another may not make much difference, but we are seeing to many small things, and they are all pointing in the same direction.
Like to many things, we need to start treating these matters with the seriousness that they deserve; Catrina and the gulf coast destruction is a timely reminder, but one which we seem to be ignoring.
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