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 Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.