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Pests to Eat More Crops in Warmer World

posted by martyb on Sunday September 09 2018, @05:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the climate-needs-some-serious-debugging dept.

takyon writes:

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)

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  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday September 09 2018, @08:36PM (2 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Sunday September 09 2018, @08:36PM (#732571) Journal

    I'll take Samantha Carter with me...you can have T'ealc(sp?).
    *Droooooooool*

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  • (Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Monday September 10 2018, @02:45AM (1 child)

    by Pslytely Psycho (1218) on Monday September 10 2018, @02:45AM (#732636)

    Ah damn. I knew I should'a called dibs....

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