Spread of crop pests 庄家病虫害扩散

媒体英语会带大家一起学习 BBC 撰稿人在报道世界大事时常用到的单词和短语。

The team looked at more than 600 pests, including the Colorado potato beetle

《自然气候变化》期刊最新发表的一项研究指出全球气候变暖助长了农作物病虫害发生程度加重。埃克塞特和牛津的大学的研究人员发现，随着气候变暖，农作物害虫正在朝南北两极方向移动。以下是 BBC 记者 Rebecca Morelle 的报道：

The researchers looked at more than 600 crop pests from around the world.

These included fungi, such as wheat rust, which is devastating harvests in Africa and the Middle East; insects like the mountain pine beetle that's destroying trees in the US; as well as bacteria, viruses and microscopic nematode worms.

They found that over the past 50 years, these destructive species have been on the move. On average, they're spreading 3km every year, shifting north and south towards the poles.

The scientists say this correlates with warming temperatures, allowing the pests to take hold in areas that were once too cold for them to live in.

Currently, between 10% and 20% of the world's crops are lost to pests - and the team warns that rising global temperatures could make the problem worse. The researchers say that improved surveillance of the problem is needed.