Locust

Immersed in the news of the day and week – of COVID-19, racial injustice and violence, protests, politics, and even faux pro sports reopenings – you might be thinking that 2020 could hardly be worse than it has been in the U.S. Indeed, many a social media meme suggests as much. But let’s remember that the U.S. doesn’t have exclusive rights to a grim 2020. Things could always be worse. Look yonder.

Consider the plague of desert locusts, with unfathomable numbers swarming in the last two years over much of northeast Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and into Pakistan and India; and Argentina and Brazil are also experiencing locust swarms.

This is an important, moving, and fascinating story. And yes, there is a climate change connection.

These two stories offer vivid on-the-ground reporting:

These visual stories offer evidence that a photo (or video) can be worth a thousand words (enable sound for full effects):

These explainers provide useful background:

These are interesting too:

And for quite recent coverage:


This series is curated and written by retired Colorado State University English professor and close climate change watcher SueEllen Campbell of Colorado. To flag works you think warrant attention, send an e-mail to her any time. Let us hear from you.

SueEllen Campbell created and for over a decade curated the website "100 Views of Climate Change," a multidisciplinary collection of pieces accessible to interested non-specialists. She is especially interested...