Kenya is enduring its worst desert locust outbreak in 70 years, AP reports, as "hundreds of millions of the bugs swarm" into the country from Ethiopia and Somalia.
The impact: This infestation is destroying farmland and "threatening an already vulnerable region with devastating hunger," but March rains and new vegetation could worsen conditions.
- The United Nations says that the numbers of fast-breeding locusts "could grow 500 times before drier weather in June curbs their spread," per AP.
- Aerial pesticide spraying will cost about $70 million to fight the swarm, the UN says.
The big picture: A warming climate has contributed to the “exceptional” breeding conditions, Nairobi-based climate scientist Abubakr Salih Babiker told AP.
Go deeper: Insect Disturbance and Climate Change (USDA)
