Bees brought Bavarians together. And they have a lesson for us all | Christian Bock

In a recent campaign Germans of all outlooks stood up against corporate greed and political apathy - and wonLast week, Bavarians forced their state legislature to change farming policies with the most successful petition in the state's history. And while the law proposed by the petition covers a range of measures, it's no surprise that campaigners' rallying cry quickly became "save the bees". Bees stand for diligence, dedication and orderliness. But they are also a symbol of our relationship with nature - and everything that has been wrong with it for decades. Bees are emblematic of how the fight to save our planet and stop runaway climate change cannot wait. They are our canary in the coalmine.Bees are essential for our food supply: apples, courgettes, almonds - one in every three bites we eat depends on bees and other pollinators. But soil sealing and industrial, monocultural agriculture using bee-harming pesticides have caused a massive decline in bee populations worldwide, to the extent that apple farmers in China have to pollinate their trees by hand. Continue reading...