Pests to eat more crops in warmer world
Insects will be at the heart of worldwide crop losses as the climate warms up, predicts a US study. Scientists estimate the pests will be eating 10-25% more wheat, rice and maize across the globe for each one degree rise in climate temperature.
Warming drives insect energy use and prompts them to eat more. Their populations can also increase. This is bound to put pressure on the world's leading cereal crops, says study co-author Curtis Deutsch.
"Insect pests currently consume the equivalent of one out of every 12 loaves of bread (before they ever get made). By the end of this century, if climate change continues unabated, insects will be eating more than two loaves of every 12 that could have been made," the University of Washington, US, researcher told BBC News.
Increase in crop losses to insect pests in a warming climate (DOI: 10.1126/science.aat3466) (DX)
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Sunday September 09 2018, @06:42PM (2 children)
Wall-E?
:)
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by BsAtHome on Sunday September 09 2018, @07:17PM (1 child)
Yes, the last one always gets stuck with the cleaning bill. Can we convert the Wall-E compacter to a process gasses? Then that should be fine and we're all off to roam the universe in a chair getting fat.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 10 2018, @04:18AM
As opposed to now, when we're all roaming the internet in a chair getting fat.