CO2 emission largely determine global mean surface warming by the late 21st century and beyond, and greenhouse gas emissions vary over a wide range. Greenhouse gases will cause further warming and permanent changes in all components of the climate system. Some of these changes have been linked to human influences, including a decrease in cold temperature extremes, an increase in warm temperature extremes, an increase in extreme high sea levels and an increase in the number of heavy precipitation events in a number of regions. What could be the effect of the climate change on insect ?
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Article Impact of Climate Change on Insects
The effects of global warming are not just about temperatures. A new study warns of declining crop yields, caused by a proliferation of pests in warmer climates. Global warming could have unintended consequences on harvests. The rise in temperature is expected to favor the proliferation of insects, including pests attacking crops: rice, wheat, corn, fruits and vegetables.This is what US researchers conclude (University of Washington, Colorado, and Stanford) in a study published in the scientific journal Science. Involved, the metabolism of insects, which accelerates with temperature, leading them to eat more and to reproduce faster in temperate regions. Two cumulative effects that can affect global agricultural production: the impact is estimated at a loss of 10 to 25% yield per additional degree Celsius!
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Considering insect populations, we can see that climate change affects in many ways: it can cause a shift in geographical spread (Porter et al., 1991; Ward and Masters, 2007), abundance (Ayres and Lombardero, 2000; Olfert and Weiss, 2006) or diversity (Conrad et al., 2002; Feehan et al., 2009; Sharon et al., 2001), it can change the location, the timing and the magnitude of outbreaks of pests (Volney and Fleming, 2000), and it can define the phenological or even the genetic properties of the species (Gordo and Sanz, 2006; Klok and Chown, 2001; Parmesan, 2007).
Dear Colleagues and Friends from RG,
The impact of climate change on insects is definitely very negative. An increase in temperature will drain the green areas where the insects feed. The progressing global warming process will increase fires in areas where various forms of flora and fauna occur, including foraging for insects. These changes will also negatively affect pollinating insects, which over the next several decades will cause a drastic decrease in the number of these insects, and this may also mean a drastic decrease in the production of fruit, cereals and some vegetables. Therefore, there may be problems with feeding people and farm animals. The global warming process, which has been progressing ever since the late 19th century, is a derivative of the civilization increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Insects are one of the key types of fauna that have arisen as a result of hundreds of millions of years of evolution of these life forms. In contrast, climate changes on the planet Earth, which are the result of the development of human civilization, have only lasted since the end of the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century. In the context of the evolution of life forms on Earth, human-induced imbalances in nature are a process that has been underway for a short time. Insects have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years and now many of their species may become extinct due to human activity, which is practically a short moment in the history of the development of life forms on Earth.
Best wishes
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Hi Dr. Hanna,
If collective actions could not hold the warming to the level (1.5 °C), the further warming could increase the risk of annihilation for many insects, plants and animals. Indeed, narrow window of range is there to protect them. Importantly, as per IPCC reports it could destroy ecosystems on around 13% of the world’s land area. For more detail, you may refer below interesting papers. Hope you find these information useful.
Tollefson, J. (2018). IPCC says limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will require drastic action. Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-06876-2.
Millar, R. J. et al. 2017, “Emission budgets and pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 °C”, Nature Geosci. 10, 741-747.
Best wishes,
Vaid, B. H. (Professor),
NUIST, Nanjing, China.
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Article Impact of Climate Change on Insects
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