The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century.

Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature’s services in a world of close to seven billion people.

The way humanity manages or mismanages its nature-based assets, including pollinators, will in part define our collective future in the 21st century.

In our interdependent world, our neighbors are not only on our street, but can be ten thousand miles away on an island in rising seas.

If you take the hard numbers, then science is clearly telling us that we're running out of time.

Even if we act immediately, the world is doomed to lose many of its animal and plant species and this inturn will reduce the ability of ecosystems to deliver vital services to human populations. The Red List gives all of us a practical tool for raising awareness of the biodiversity crisis and for forging new partnerships within the international community.

We have a responsibility to first understand how climate change impacts all peoples of the world. Then, we must consider the individual and collective choices and actions that can move us toward a sustainable future.