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.

Read more: bloomberg.com

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