Examining the Emergence of Insect Pests under Changing Climate: A Comprehensive Review

Climate change has emerged as a major driver of agricultural transformation, profoundly influencing the ecology, biology, and distribution of insect pests across diverse cropping systems. Rising global temperatures, erratic precipitation patterns, and elevated CO₂ levels are reshaping pest development rates, voltinism, and survival, often resulting in increased outbreaks and invasions into new agroecological zones. This review synthesises current evidence on the nexus between climate change and emerging insect pests, identifies research and policy gaps, and highlights sustainable pathways for protecting crop productivity and food security in an era of accelerating environmental change. Cereals such as wheat, rice, and maize face mounting threats from pests like the Russian wheat aphid, brown planthopper, and fall armyworm, while horticultural crops are increasingly impacted by invasive species, including Tuta absoluta and Bactrocera dorsalis. Plantation crops and forest systems are also at risk due to the expansion of pests such as coffee berry borer and bark beetles into previously unsuitable regions. Climate variability not only intensifies yield losses but also degrades produce quality, amplifies economic stress on smallholder farmers, and exacerbates global food and nutritional insecurity. Interactions with natural enemies, pathogens, and abiotic stressors such as drought and heat further complicate pest management. Emerging technologies in remote sensing, GIS, and artificial intelligence are improving pest surveillance and forecasting, while genomics, RNAi, and microbiome research are opening new avenues for sustainable control. International frameworks led by FAO, IPPC, and regional plant protection organisations play vital roles in strengthening quarantine and biosecurity measures, though significant research gaps persist, particularly in long-term monitoring datasets and predictive modelling under complex climate scenarios. Moving forward, climate-smart integrated pest management, farmer-centred extension systems, and global collaborations in pest surveillance will be critical for building resilience.