The EU Is Trying to Save Bees
Listen to the story (Australian accent)
On Tuesday, the European Union (EU) explained its plan to help save bees. The union wants to make safe areas with food and shelter called “buzz lines” for bees and other insects that move pollen. The buzz lines could stop the decline of bees and other insects which are important for agriculture.
The EU’s seven-year plan will also increase monitoring of the pollinators in the EU area of 27 countries.
Currently, different types of pollinators like bees, butterflies and hoverflies are endangered. These insects are crucial for growing crops and wild flowers.
The pollinators face dangers like farms that use a lot of pesticides, dirty air and water, diseases, invasive plants and animals, and climate change.
If the European Union can agree on a plan, it will become part of a law for restoring nature. Then, each country in the EU will have to find ways to stop the decline of pollinators by 2030.
The EU is already trying to reduce pesticides in its area. For example, the European Court recently blocked farmers in France from using a pesticide on sugar beets that affects bees.
This new plan is an update to a program from 2018 that focused on teaching people about the decrease of pollinators and their importance. However, that program was not enough to fix the problem.
Vocabulary22 words
- The European Union (EU)
- 27 countries in Europe that work closely together
- Bee
- ?; a yellow and black flying insect
- Shelter
- a place where someone or something can live or stay and be protected from danger or bad weather
- Insect
- small animal with six legs, three body parts and sometimes wings
- Pollen
- a fine powder created by plants that contains tiny pieces which help other plants grow
- Decline
- go down; decrease; become less
- Agriculture
- the science or job of farming; the industry of growing food and raising animals for food
- Monitor
- Observe and check over a period of time; to watch and look for changes; track
- Pollinator
- an animal/insect that helps in the process of pollination, transferring pollen from one plant to another
- Endangered
- close to extinction; animals or plants that may soon not exist/live because there are very few alive now
- Crucial
- important; major; essential; key; necessary
- Crop
- any type of plant that is grown to use as food
- Face danger
- to be in a situation where one is exposed to harm or risks
- Pesticide
- a chemical used to kill animals and insects that are harmful to crops and plants
- Disease
- illness; sickness; disorder; something that attacks the body
- Invasive
- not natural to the area, spreads quickly and harmful to the new area
- Climate change
- the fast and dangerous change in weather happening around the world
- Law
- a rule, regulation, or guideline set by the government
- Restore
- fix; repair; to return something to an earlier good condition; to make something like it was;
- Block
- to stop or prevent something from happening or moving forward
- Program
- project; initiative; a group of activities or things to be achieved
- Focus on
- to give most of your attention to someone or something
Discussion questions
- What are the goals of the European Union's plan to save bees? Do you think the EU should do more?
- The issue of bees disappearing has been an important topic for many years. Were you aware of this issue before reading the article? What else do you know about it? What would you like to know?
- It seems that the program from 2018 didn't help this issue. Why do you think it wasn't effective?
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