Climate change affects much more than temperature and weather change. The number of pests and diseases are increasing due to prolonged hot seasons, wetter winters and reduced soil retention. Thus, this puts several important plant species at risk, including mangoes, coffee and wheat. These commodities make up much of the global economy and will result in market failure.
Pests
Mangoes, a tropical commodity, are threatened by Bactrocera invadens. These fruit flies thrive in the hotter climate. With extended growing seasons, and mango trees utilizing the increased CO2 levels, both the pest and the produce survive for longer periods of time. It starts with a female fruit fly finding a host plant and implanting her eggs, followed by the newly-born larvae tunneling through the fruit,
People will be deprived of daily pleasures. The world will have less alternative fuel options, less produce to feed animals (and in turn humans), and less alcohol to drown to the pain of what we’re doing to the environment. Climate change is resulting in the breakdown of our ecosystem, which affects our food, livestock and political offices. Although denial of this issue is very prevalent in American society due to the current administration, it is a global issue. Water, commodities and food sources are international. There isn’t a wall of denial that can be built around these facts. The solution to climate change isn’t engineering organisms, or altering farm practices to adapt to it. Rather, it’s stopping it in the first place. CO2 reduction practices need to be set in place to prevent the climate from rising above the 2-degree mark set by the United Nations. Aerosol use should be reduced to prevent further air pollution. Farmers can use land vehicles to transport goods rather than air. There are many small changes that need to be made to create the bigger shift in climate change. But for now, we must adapt and