Global Warming Killing Exponential Number of Bumblebees: Study

Global warming is causing bumblebees to die out in Europe and North America, a new study claims.

By studying data collected over 110 years from across both continents, researchers were able to link decline in Bumblebee populations with climate change and warming which became pronounced after 1974. They also found that unlike many other species that are migrating northward to escape extreme heat waves, many Bumblebee species are simply dying out. The findings were made based observations made for 67 species of Bumblebee.

"We've lost about 300 km from the ranges of bumblebees in southern Europe and North America. The scale and pace of these losses are unprecedented. We need new strategies to help these species cope with the effects of human-caused climate change, perhaps assisting them to shift into northern areas," said University of Ottawa professor Jeremy T. Kerr who led the study.

Bumblebees are very important species as they pollinate seeds of several flora species. Their yearly worth is estimated at $ 3 billion and their loss threatens to destabilize economy.

"Pollinators are vital for food security and our economy, and widespread losses due to climate change will diminish both. We need to figure out how we can improve the outlook for pollinators on continental scales. But the most important thing we can do is begin to take serious action to reduce the rate of climate change," Prof. Jeremy Kerr said.

The study has been published in the journal Science.