Warming and habitat loss shrink pollinator numbers. That may hit coffee, cocoa crops hard in future

BY SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

A new study finds that changes in the climate and land use are combining to dramatically shrink the numbers of insects pollinating key tropical crops. Thursday’s study says as those problems intertwine and intensify, it likely will hit coffee lovers right in the mug. And that one-two punch will melt some chocolate fans’ dreams too. Scientists looked at thousands of species and sites and found when temperatures warmed up beyond the normal range and that interacted with a shrinking habitat of flower plants, the number of insects that pollinate those plants plummets by 61%. Bees, flies and other critters that pollinate plants are crucial to the world’s food supply.