The scale of giant locust swarms is staggering: a single swarm can contain tens of millions of locusts.
Locusts have been described by the United Nations as “the world’s most destructive migratory pest.” Now, a new study claims climate change will soon trigger “swarms” of giant desert locusts.The research was conducted by scientists from the National University of Singapore and published in the journal scientific progress. The report states that due to climate change, these insect populations may expand to 25%. This study is the first to show a strong link between large locust swarms and specific weather patterns.
Locusts belong to the grasshopper family and are usually harmless, but certain environmental conditions such as monsoons and strong cyclones can cause them to reproduce faster. Bee colonies are highly mobile and can travel 50 to more than 100 kilometers in a day.
Experts warn that these giant swarms could have a devastating impact on the global food chain.
He Xiaogang, an author of the study, said: “Even under a mitigation scenario in which carbon emissions are significantly reduced, locust habitats will still increase by at least 5%, and locust swarms will continue to appear in existing hotspots in Africa and Asia.” Tell life science.
He added: “Given the key role of Africa and South Asia as the global breadbasket, simultaneous locust plagues have the potential to trigger widespread crop failures and threaten global food security.”
The scale of these giant swarms is staggering: a single swarm can contain tens of millions of these insects. Every day, if they travel 130-150 kilometers, they can eat as much as thousands of people.
The study is based on analysis of a large database from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The database contains detailed information on locust outbreaks in 36 countries between 1985 and 2020.
The research team combined information from FAO databases with meteorological data on indicators such as temperature, wind speed and rainfall.
