Global Warming Means Lots More Insects Threatening Food Crops: Study

"Wheat, corn and rice are staple foods for 4 billion people. A new study suggests crop damage from climate change may be far worse than projected as pest risks rise."

"Growing swarms of hungrier and hyperactive insects may wipe out big percentages of the world's three most important grain crops — wheat, corn and rice — even if the world manages to cap global warming at 2 degrees Celsius, the upper-end target of the Paris climate agreement, scientists warn.

The biggest crop losses are expected in temperate areas where global warming will increase both insects' population growth and their metabolic rates. That includes the major breadbaskets of North America and Europe.

Altogether, the potential scale of the damage is so high, it could threaten global food security, according to research published today in the journal Science. "

Bob Berwyn reports for InsideClimate News August 30, 2018.

Source: InsideClimate News, 08/31/2018