Singapore: Climate change is predicted to unleash colossal ‘megaswarms’ of desert locusts, posing dire threats to global food security, according to a recent study published in Science Advances by scientists from the National University of Singapore.
These megaswarms, projected to expand by up to 25%, are linked directly to climate change-induced weather patterns.
Desert locusts, recognized as the “most destructive migratory pest in the world” by the United Nations, typically remain harmless, but specific environmental conditions like monsoons and heavy cyclones accelerate their reproduction.
These swarms, covering 50 to over 100 kilometers daily, pose a significant risk to agriculture.
The study’s author, Xiaogang He, warns that even with substantial carbon emissions reductions, locust habitat will still increase by at least 5%, with existing hotspots in Africa and Asia remaining susceptible to swarms.
The potential for concurrent locust infestations in critical agricultural regions could trigger widesp
read crop failures, endangering global food security.
Megaswarms, comprising tens of millions of locusts, have the capacity to consume food equivalent to that consumed by thousands of people daily.
The study, based on extensive analysis of FAO data spanning 1985 to 2020, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to mitigate the impact of climate change on locust proliferation and safeguard global food supplies.
Source: Oman News Agency