To bee or not to bee

We’re all dependent upon fresh water, fertile soils and pollinators for our food. But we’re fishing fish faster than they can reproduce, felling trees faster than they can grow and polluting our air and waters. We’re heading for disaster unless we get our acts together.

I think many here in Sweden believe that it won’t be so bad here ... technology will solve everything. “I’ll just go vegetarian twice a week, only buy second hand and drive an electric car”–kind of thinking. I wish it was that easy. And no, I’m not saying it’s up to the individual to solve everything, businesses and governments have a lot they can do.

Imagine another heat wave summer, crops drying up, people dying due to the heat, wildfires, animals needed to be slaughtered etc. Trees that don’t get enough water become weak and can break more easily during storms. Pests that haven’t been around before flourish when the climate changes.

Climate change is really scary. But there’s another threat too: Our natural life supporting systems are in need of life support themselves. Last summer our apple tree had lots of flowers but gave no apples. I don’t depend upon those apples but others do. I’ve just asked a bee keeper if she wants to put her bee hives in my garden. The pollination of crops globally by bees and other animals is worth up to $577 billion. My lawn is only cut 1-3 times per year. Call me lazy or call me a bee buddy.