What Is the Threat to Bees?

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The number that I quoted was essentially a figure derived from the loss of crop productivity if bees weren't there anymore. It's really an attempt to illustrate the very high value of nature if we see it not as an externality but something that we actually had to pay for. The whole of the natural world is interdependent. So large forests have particular roles to play. Some of those plants are also pollinated by bees. And everything tends to interlock.

This week, guest host Topher Forhecz is joined by Los Angeles bureau chief Chris Grimes to hear about the future of TV's streaming wars. Since the pandemic, streaming services have poured huge amounts of money into new content, but it's unclear how long this boom will last. Then, we talk to Nature Therapy columnist Jonathan Guthrie about bees. He's estimated that we owe bees nearly $160bn for their pollination services. What's at stake if we can't repay that debt?

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Links and mentions from the episode:

– Chris Grimes’ piece on the peak of TV streaming: https://www.ft.com/content/0e95cf55-dda1-4f63-bb6b-bf475f974f30

– Jonathan Guthrie’s Nature Therapy column, ‘Our £135 bn debt to the humble bee’: https://www.ft.com/content/286dff35-9634-4fd7-9497-3d2de3a555a4

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

Clip from Prime Video.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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