Pesticides, climate change, and millions of bees.

It is spring again, which means our world's pollinators are back at work as a critical part of our food economy. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators are essential to growing fruits, vegetables, and nuts. When they are at risk, the very food we put on the table is at risk. Farm economies are at risk. Everything is at risk.

Here's the problem: thanks to chemicals in pesticides and to global climate change, pollinators are in greater danger than ever before.

Here's another problem: over the last four years and the Trump administration, we haven't done nearly enough to address this issue. And where climate change is concerned, if we're not moving forward, we're moving backward.

This responsibility falls to us — to make sure everyone understands the responsibility we have to each other and to our planet, and how healthy pollinators are a crucial piece of that puzzle.

In the past, I've taken the lead in introducing legislation to save our nation's pollinators, and I'll be on the front lines again this year. Because, like I said, this responsibility is significant and it's our job to restore the health and stability of this critical (and underappreciated) part of our nation's food ecosystem.

Courage.

Earl