Any scientific advancement, however marvellous it is, can take on Pandora’s Box qualities if left unchecked. As far as the agricultural industries are concerned, pesticides are helping to feed the world by keeping yields high and prices down. But this is only half of the story. Pesticides are not generally [...]

The garden should be your own little green heaven, a plant-filled oasis from which you can temporarily relax and unwind and immerse yourself in the Earth’s natural glories. But occasionally amidst the flora and fauna you encounter a few unexpected and unwelcome visitors; a smattering of uninvited gatecrashers who try [...]

People get sick and animal get sick; these are facts that we all know. But do buildings get sick? If you’ve heard the term “sick building” being tossed about, you may be as confused as others. The term doesn’t refer to the building itself, but to the health of the [...]

On January 6th, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that crops attractive to honeybees (in particular the European Apis mellifera) cannot contain chemicals from the neonicotinoid family of pesticides. This conclusion was reached after an extensive EFSA study that officially linked these pesticides to the recent decline in honeybees [...]

A unique species of resident killer whales living off the coast of Washington’s iconic Puget Sound has unwittingly garnered the ire of big ag. Pacific Liberty Foundation, an infamously anti-environment property rights group, has filed a petition on behalf of two large Central California valley farms – Empresas Del Bosque [...]

A new report in Nature proclaims that exposure to neonicotinoid and pyrethroid pesticides “impairs natural foraging behavior and increases worker mortality” in bumblebees, “leading to significant reductions in brood development and colony success.” The exposure levels cited in the report are similar to those found in fields. The study, which looked at bumblebee [...]

A new study suggests that the pesticides used in farming are killing off worker bumblebees and damaging their ability to gather food. This means that colonies that are vital for plant pollination are more likely to fail when they are used. The research was conducted by a team of British [...]

A new study by Britain’s Food and Environment Agency is triggering backlash over a French ban on a particular pesticide. Reuters reports that British scientists have shot down an April study, led by French scientist Mikaël Henry, about declining honeybee populations. The team of British scientists say the results of [...]

A new UN report says the potential cost of pesticide-related illnesses in sub-Saharan Africa between 2005 and 2020 could reach $90bn. The research highlights the increasing health and environmental dangers from chemicals. The report was released by the UN environment programme (UNEP). It states that the estimated cost of pesticide [...]

When British author and Olympic athlete Lord Northbourne coined the phrase “organic farming” in 1940, and in turn, helped facilitate the organic movement against chemical fertilizers and pesticides, he probably had no idea that the industry would end up being worth a whopping $29 billion. But, as with any cause [...]