Achim Steiner, head of the UN Environmental Program that commissioned the report, warned that if humanity doesn't take steps to protect bees, there will be a huge impact on the global food supply.
"
Of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees," he said in a statement.
"Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature's services in a world of close to 7 billion people."
Cases of mass bee deaths have been reported across
Europe,
North America,
Japan,
China and
Egypt.
In Europe, the decision to institute the moratorium was not without controversy.
BBC News reports that leading up to Monday’s decision, lobbying was “
ferocious” on both sides. Nearly three million signatures were collected in support of a ban. Chemical and pesticide manufacturers argued that the science is inconclusive and that a ban could inhibit food production.
Experts at the USDA, EPA and others involved in the federal bee study concluded that there was not enough evidence to support a ban in the United States, and that the cost of imposing one could outweigh the benefits. They recommended further research be done.
The EPA says that there is not enough evidence to support a ban on the neonicotinoids. That translates in plainspeak to: the EPA says there is not enough money being paid counteracting the money being paid by the insecticide lobby to support a ban. EPA also said there was not enough evidence to support banning asbestos for almost three decades after Europe had banned its use, before they finally banned it. Our government is corrupt, bought and paid for top to bottom.