{"id":114080,"date":"2023-09-24T12:20:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T16:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=114080"},"modified":"2023-09-28T13:34:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T17:34:57","slug":"cost-of-invasive-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/cost-of-invasive-species\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cost of Invasive Species Is Growing With Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why has the cost of invasive species risen recently? What are governments doing about it, and how can you help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An urgent report shows that invasive species are costing the world hundreds of billions of dollars every year. These costs have been increasing over the past 50 years due to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for a background on invasive species and what can be done to lessen the impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Invasive Species Cost $400 Billion Annually<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Invasive species cost the world\u2019s economy upward of $400 billion every year, according to an urgent report<\/a> from the UN\u2019s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Invasive Species?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To be considered invasive, a species must meet two criteria<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The species is exotic. <\/strong>In other words, it comes from somewhere else in the world. <\/li>
  2. The species is harmful to its new habitat. <\/strong>The species is likely to cause environmental or economic damage, or it\u2019s a threat to human health. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Invasive species often (though not always) reach new habitats as a result of human activity. This can be unintentional\u2014such as how the spotted lanternfly has spread<\/a> by laying eggs on vehicles\u2014or intentionally, like when Asian carp were brought to the US<\/a> to clean algae out of ponds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once there, an invasive species can damage ecosystems by crowding out native organisms and altering their habitat. Because the species evolved outside of that area, it will often have no natural predators or other checks on its population, allowing it to quickly spread and outcompete native species. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Furthermore, some invasive species are direct threats to human health and infrastructure. To give just a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n