Government Plunder of the Week:
EPA Sued for Bee Colony Collapse Cover-Up
Over the past two years, beekeepers have reported an
alarming and potentially catastrophic loss of bees from
their hives ranging anywhere from 30-90 percent. This
"Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD) isn't just a problem
for beekeepers and farmers, but for consumers as well,
since bee pollination is essential for crop production.
The USDA claims that one out of every three mouthfuls
of food is dependant on bee pollination.
Experts have been researching CCD and have linked the
die-off to a number of likely culprits.
One of the likely killers is a new pesticide, clothianidin,
approved by the EPA in 2003. Germany and France
have banned this type of pesticide to protect their
bee population. In the U.S., clothianidin was approved
after Bayer CropScience, the chemical's maker, submitted
required studies to the EPA regarding the chemical's
impact on bees and the environment. Now the EPA is
suspiciously and illegally refusing to release these public
documents. To expose this cover-up and hopefully to
save the bees, last week the Natural Resources Defense
Council filed a lawsuit against the agency.
* * * * * * * * *
A Little Country in the middle of the Middle East
that has a scarce water supply, and uses drip-irrigation
to feed all its citizens, with a profitable export business
to Europe will be happy to help the rest of the world
wade through the possible water shortages anticipated:
STOCKHOLM, Aug 22 (IPS) - A spectre is haunting the cities
and villages of most developing nations, warns a senior official
of a World Bank-affiliated organisation. [...] Colin Chartres,
director general of the International Water Management
Institute (IWMI) said the causes of water scarcity are essentially
identical to those of the food crisis. [...] He pointed out that
current estimates indicate the world will not have enough
water to feed itself in 40 years time, "by when the current
food crisis may turn into a perpetual crisis.”
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