Crop-damaging insects, bacteria, fungus and viruses are moving poleward by nearly three kilometers each year, helped by global warming, a study has said.
A team at Britain’s University of Exeter trawled through two huge databases to chart the latitude and dates for the earliest record of 612 crop pests.
Since 1960, these pests have been heading either northward or southward at a rate of around 2.7km yearly.
Photos: Reuters
照片：路透
They move into land that opens up for habitat because of higher temperature and its impact on local weather. The distance is an average figure, as some pests have travelled faster or slower than this.
Over the last half-century, global surface temperatures have risen by an average of 0.12?C per decade.
Countries at higher latitudes have more resources than economies in tropical zones in combating the problem, and regions that previously were too cold for agriculture will also open up to the plough.
Even so, the peril of advancing pests should not be underestimated, as these countries are the planet’s biggest and most productive crop growers, says the paper.
“If crop pests continue to march poleward as the Earth warms, the combined effects of a growing world population and the increased loss of crops to pests will pose a serious threat to global food security,” said one of the authors, Dan Bebber.
(AFP)
一份研究指出，作物害蟲、細菌、真菌與病毒在全球暖化助長下，以每年將近三公里的速度朝南北兩極推進。
英國艾克斯特大學團隊檢視兩個龐大的資料庫，標示出六百一十二種作物害蟲最早紀錄的活動緯度與年代。
自一九六零年以來，這些害蟲以每年約二點七公里的速率，朝南或朝北前進。
由於高溫及其對當地天氣的衝擊，這些害蟲移入可提供棲息的土地。這樣的遷徙距離是平均數據，有些害蟲行進速度較快或較慢。
在過去半世紀，全球地表溫度每十年平均升溫攝氏零點一二度。
緯度較高國家在對抗病蟲害的問題上，要比熱帶地區的經濟體擁有更多資源，而此前因過於寒冷而不利於發展農業的地區，也將廣開成為耕地。
即便如此，該報告指出，害蟲危險性仍不得被低估，因為這些國家是地球最大也是農產最豐者。
作者之一丹．貝博說：「如果作物害蟲隨著地球暖化繼續向極地挺進，全球人口增加與越來越多作物因蟲害而減產的綜合效應，將對全球食物安全造成嚴重威脅。」
（法新社／翻譯：魏國金）
For many introverts, shy individuals and people with social anxiety, mingling at parties is often draining or arouses uncomfortable emotions. The internal debate about whether or not to attend large get-togethers can get especially intense during the holiday season, a time when many workplaces celebrate with cocktail hours, gift exchanges and other forms of organized fun. “Some people are just not party people,” City University of New York social work professor Laura MacLeod said. “With a workplace holiday party, there’s a pressure to be very happy and excited. It’s the end of the year, it’s the holidays, we’re all feeling grand.
Twelve dinner guests have just left your house, and now a tower of greasy plates stares back at you mockingly. Your hands are already wrinkling as you think about scrubbing each dish by hand. This nightmare bothered households for centuries until inventors in the 19th century tried to solve the problem. The first mechanical dishwashers, created in the 1850s, were wooden machines with hand cranks that splashed water over dishes. Unfortunately, these early devices were unreliable and often damaged delicate items. The real breakthrough came in the 1880s thanks to Josephine Cochrane, a wealthy American socialite. According to her own account,
Facing relentless flooding and rising expenses, Dumble Farm in England has stopped selling milk and started an unexpected but therapeutic venture: cow cuddles. In 2022, the owners sold most of their dairy cows and began letting visitors spend time brushing, petting, and even hugging specially trained Highland cows for 95 pounds per session. This unusual shift reflects the rise of the so-called healing economy, a sector where animal-assisted experiences are marketed as emotional remedies for stress and burnout. While dogs and cats remain the most common therapy animals, cows are gaining popularity for their calm nature. At Dumble Farm, only cows that
A: Wow, US climber Alex Honnold has announced that he’s going to free-climb Taipei 101 on Jan. 24. And the challenge, titled “Skyscraper Live,” will be broadcast worldwide live on Netflix at 9am. B: Oh my goodness, Taipei 101 is the world’s tallest green building. Is he crazy? A: Honnold is actually the climber in the 2019 film “Free Solo” that won an Oscar for best documentary, and was directed by Taiwanese-American Jimmy Chin and his wife. He’s a legendary climber. B: Didn’t Alain Robert, “the French Spiderman,” also attempt to scale Taipei 101 in 2004? A: Yes, but
RSS