Based on several polls, large portions of the American public believe that the climate is gradually warming, and this warming is being caused by mankind. Most importantly, global warming is viewed as a negative trend that endangers both humanity as well as the rest of the animal kingdom, not to mention the state of the ecosystem itself. Since human-induced global warming is a phenomenon that is still being explored by scientists, it can be safely said that this trend will have negative consequences, some of which have not even been considered yet. It is not infrequent to encounter a study or an article that describes an aspect of global warming that has not yet been widely considered. For example, researchers have recently found evidence to suggest that global warming will lead to an overabundance of insects and less food for humans.
Most people have heard respected scientists claim that global warming may be responsible for killing-off many of earth’s animal species, particularly insects. For example, the recently discovered loss of insect species around the globe has been blamed partly on global warming. However, the relationship between agriculture and insects is complicated, and there is no quick answer to how global warming will affect the world’s insect species. Perhaps some insect species will benefit from global warming, while others will ultimately become extinct as a result of the trend. At the moment, insect pests are responsible for destroying up to 20% of the world’s crops, and this number will likely grow as global warming intensifies.
Researchers have analyzed how rice, maize and wheat will be affected by rising global temperatures. These crops provide 42% of humanity’s calories, making these crops particularly important for avoiding starvation. Unfortunately, as global temperatures increase, up to 25% of these crops will be destroyed by insect pests. This loss is due to the fact that insects require greater caloric intake in hotter climates. Also, insect populations in colder regions will grow substantially, as hibernation and insect death will become less frequent in warmer climates. An increase in overwintering insects and hungrier insects will lead to far less agricultural food products available to future generations, as crop-devouring pests will become much more abundant the future.
Do you believe that the most significant effects of global warming on humans will be related to how global warming affects insect populations?