(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers.)

Dear Editor:

Over the past year, it’s been heartening to finally see some broad public concern in this country about the myriad environmental crises we face. The mass die-off of bees and other pollinators across the US — and the threat that die-off poses to our ability to grow some of our most critical crops — should be considered one of the most important of these problems, and one that requires an urgent response from beacon hill and our federal government.

Bees are dying at alarming rates, and there are major consequences for our food supply. Just 100 crops provide 90 percent of the world’s food, and we rely on bees to pollinate 71 of them. We’re talking about the loss of some of our healthiest and most important crops, including almonds, strawberries, broccoli, the alfalfa used to feed dairy cows, and so much more.

One of the major causes is a widely used class of pesticides called neonics. Canada is phasing out these bee-killing pesticides. Connecticut and Maryland have banned the sale of them to consumers.

We need Massachusetts to pass House Bill 763, An Act to Protect Pollinators, which would ban the most common and troubling uses of these chemicals statewide — because if there are no bees, there’s no food.

Sincerely,

Jake Taber

Somerville