I support local action to ban bee-killing pesticides

U.S. Conference of Mayors

Bees are dying by the million, and a growing body of scientific evidence points to a dangerous new breed of pesticides called neonics as the main culprit.In response, a wave of local cities and towns are taking steps to ban bee-killing pesticides.

With Trump in the White House and science-denier Scott Pruitt running the EPA, it's unlikely we're going to get much action to protect the environment out of Washington, D.C., in the foreseeable future. That's why we must do everything in our power to protect the bees locally.

We rely on bees, butterflies, and other pollinators for more than 70 percent of the world's food crops. That's what's at stake in this fight: without bees and other natural pollinators, we simply won't have enough food to feed the world.

And the global bee die-off has been happening so fast that scientists are still scrambling to detect all the impacts. And now, this new study also finds that neonic pesticides are killing warblers, swallows, starlings and thrushes nearly as fast as the bees -- at current rates, 35 percent of the bird population will disappear in just 10 years in the areas studied.

Will you sign my petition urging mayors and other local officials to join me in supporting action to protect local communities from synthetic and bee-killing pesticides?

To: U.S. Conference of Mayors
From: [Your Name]

With Trump in the White House and science-denier Scott Pruitt running the EPA, it's unlikely we're going to get much action to protect the environment out of Washington, D.C., in the foreseeable future. That's why I'm calling on all mayors and other local officials to take action locally to eliminate the use of bee-killing pesticides.