ATHENS – Forbes Magazine spotlighted Markela, an 11-year-old from Neo Makri, Greece,  who has been helping her grandfather, Markos Sakarikos, with beekeeping since she was a young child. Every week, they tend to the family’s hives, checking for the queen bee, ensuring the bees have enough food, and treating them if they show signs of disease. Markela is the fifth generation of beekeepers in her family, a tradition that dates back more than a century to her great-great-grandfather.

However, the global decline in bee populations, exacerbated by the climate crisis, threatens Markela’s ability to continue this family tradition. Markos recalls that in the past, honey production was abundant, but the changing climate has significantly impacted both the bees’ health and honey production. The vegetation that bees depend on has been destroyed by wildfires, and droughts have led to a lack of flowers, which are essential for bees to produce honey.

Bees are crucial to ecosystems and serve as early indicators of environmental health. In Greece, their decline signals the severe effects of heat waves, droughts, and forest fires. The deteriorating health of the bees is a growing concern for Markela and her family, as they witness the broader impacts of the climate crisis on their community. The increasing frequency of wildfires, heat waves, and droughts poses a significant threat not only to the bees but also to the health and well-being of children like Markela.

To address these challenges, governments must adopt holistic approaches that prioritize primary health care in climate change preparedness, mitigation, and response efforts. However, the most critical step is reducing emissions to limit global warming, which is essential to protecting both the environment and future generations.