Agnieszka Basińska, Francis Balay and Xavier Brenez are advocating for the EU to ban synthetic pesticides and embrace agroecological practices to safeguard public health and nature.
Agnieszka Basińska, Francis Balay, Xavier Brenez write for Euronews.
In short:
- The EU recently extended the use of glyphosate, contradicting its own green goals, amid fears pesticides could be the next asbestos-like disaster.
- Historical parallels are drawn between the widespread use and late regulation of asbestos and current pesticide practices.
- The authors urge immediate action to prevent further health crises and protect future generations from the dangers of pesticides.
Key quote:
"We need to ban all synthetic pesticides and implement agroecological practices that boost health and nature as quickly as possible. What is the EU waiting for?"
— Agnieszka Basińska, Francis Balay, and Xavier Brenez, managers of European mutual health organizations
Why this matters:
The European Commission's decision to reauthorize glyphosate for another 10 years has sparked a wave of legal challenges from environmental groups, EU lawmakers, and citizen activists. Meanwhile, Pesticide Action Network Europe released a report asserting that viable, non-chemical alternatives to glyphosate exist for all major uses, challenging the claim that such alternatives are lacking.
