The idea that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the globe is a commonplace of so-called 'chaos theory' in physics.
But theory aside, individual consumers making tiny, everyday choices in the industrialised north have helped set flapping the wings of hurricanes of locusts in east Africa.
"The situation is particularly worrisome in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya," Cyril Ferrand, a senior UN official based in the region, told EUobserver.
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.