Rising temperatures could expand the area of the globe under threat from crop-devouring locusts by up to 25 percent in the coming decades, a new study found, as more places experience the cycles of drought and torrential rain that give rise to biblical swarms of the insects.
Desert locusts for millenniums have been the scourge of farmers across northern Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
They love hot, dry conditions, but they need the occasional downpour to moisten the soil in which they incubate their eggs.
Human-caused warming is heating up the locusts’ home turf and intensifying sporadic rains there.
That is exposing new parts of the region to potential infestations, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
Persons:
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Organizations:
National University of Singapore
Locations:
Africa, East, South Asia