Climate Change, Big Agriculture Combine to Threaten Insects – Study

Paris- Insect populations are nearly half as numerous in areas affected by global warming and intensive agriculture as in less disrupted habitats, a new study showed on Wednesday.

Researchers at University College London, led by entomologist Charlie Outhwaite, measured both the abundance of insects and the number of different species present in various regions of the world, comparing these numbers to pristine areas less affected by climate change.

The study, published in the journal Nature, concludes that global warming and intensive land use are not only affecting the total insect population, which has been cut nearly in half, but also reducing the number of species by 27%.

While insects thrive in temperate natural areas, they do not in the tropics. In these areas, the species were accustomed to smaller thermal oscillations and appeared to be less resilient to temperature rises, the study found.

In fact, it is in Southeast Asia and South America where the synergy between agriculture and climate change is most pronounced and where the reductions in insect abundance and diversity are greatest, the study showed.

The results, which are consistent with previous studies on insect population declines, are based on data for 18,000 species collected between 1992 and 2012 in 6,000 locations.