Giant Locust Swarms Could Expand to New Areas With Climate Change, Study Suggests | Smart News [Video]

Locust swarms could soon expand to new regions in south and west central Asia, as the erratic weather patterns brought on by burning fossil fuels create prime conditions for the insects, a recent study suggests.

Between 2065 and 2100, desert locusts’ range could expand by as much as 13 to 25 percent as a result of cyclical droughts—providing the hot, dry weather in which locusts thrive—and occasional heavy rains, which allow their eggs to incubate in damp soil.

The food security and livelihoods of millions of people in India, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Iran would be under threat, the researchers argue in their paper, published last week in Science Advances. In those countries in particular, they estimate new hot spots of locust swarms to emerge as the world is altered by climate change.

“Failure to address these risks could further strain food …