Claim: “the loss of dung beetles … creating a climate doom loop”
16 hours ago Eric Worrall 40 Comments
Essay by Eric Worrall
Scientists ignoring obvious solutions to problems?
Climate change may cause crisis amid important insect populations, researchers say
By Adam Yamaguchi, Kerry Breen
February 24, 2024 / 11:08 AM EST / CBS News
They might be tiny, but insects rule the planet, making up over two-thirds of the world’s 1.5 million known animal species and the backbone of the food chain. But despite their immense impact and large numbers, bugs might be in trouble.
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In greenhouses, Sheldon simulates a warming planet to see how the beetles react. Sheldon and her team have found that smaller dung beetles struggle to dig deep enough to protect their offspring from the warming climate and extreme temperature swings.
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While climate change is contributing to insect population declines, the loss of dung beetles may in turn exacerbate extreme swings in temperature, creating a climate doom loop.
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Read more:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-may-cause-crisis-amid-important-insect-populations-researchers-say/Kimberly Sheldon seems to have written a bunch of similar dung beetle climate studies, so I’m not sure which one the CBS article refers to. Maybe all of them.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/02/25/claim-the-loss-of-dung-beetles-creating-a-climate-doom-loop/
