The world’s most widely used insecticides will be banned across Europe within six months to prevent ecological “armageddon”
The European Union has just agreed to ban neonicotinoids because of the serious danger they pose to the survival of bees and other pollinating insects.
Neonicotinoids are nerve agents known to cause a wide range of harm to bees, including damaging memory and reducing queen numbers.
But a more recent study shows neonicotinoids can destroy entire colonies.
Bees and other insects are vital to global food security as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops.
75 percent of all flying insects have disappeared in Germany, prompting warnings of “ecological armageddon.”
The ban on the three popular neonicotinoids has widespread public support, with almost 5 million people signing a petition from campaign group Avaaz.
“Banning these toxic pesticides is a beacon of hope for bees,” said Antonia Staats at Avaaz. “Finally, our governments are listening to their citizens, the scientific evidence and farmers who know that bees can’t live with these chemicals and we can’t live without bees.”
“Authorizing neonicotinoids a quarter of a century ago was a mistake and led to an environmental disaster,” said Martin Dermine, at Pesticide Action Network Europe told The Guardian. “Today’s vote is historic.”