Weather & Science
Climate Change Is Helping Pests and Diseases Destroy Our Food
- Crop shortages from grains to cocoa are exacerbated by pests
- Higher temperatures expand spread of insects and diseases
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Pests and diseases are exacerbating crop shortages that have sent prices for goods like cocoa, olive oil and orange juice soaring. That’s set to become even more prevalent as extreme weather events multiply.
Already, plant diseases cost the global economy over $220 billion every year, and invasive insects at least $70 billion, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Pests adapt easily to the changing climate, with warmer temperatures allowing them to generate more quickly and migrate faster, in turn reducing crop yields, according to Leah Buchman, an entomologist at Georgetown University.