Painting by Vi Huntley-Franck
Climate change contributes to disease outbreaks around the world. More deadly pandemics will come if something is not done soon to slow climate change down.
Most of these diseases originated in animals, specifically wildlife, that transmitted the diseases to humans. Habitat destruction and agricultural development on wildland force wild animals closer to humans. This, in turn, allows new strains of infectious diseases to thrive.
Removing forests eliminates the natural environment of some species. This doesn’t mean they have no place to live. Human houses, sheds, and the like can attract insects, bats, and more.
Covid-19 originated in a horseshoe bat, transmitted through another animal, and then to humans. Bats have more than 3,000 strains of coronavirus that can be transmitted to humans. In the wild, they don’t have close proximity to humans. Jam houses up the forest edges, and you’re talking a whole new game. Where are they to go, but the happy homeowner’s domicile?
With a loss of habitat comes possible extinction of animal and plant species. Logging, fires, and agricultural expansion are all at fault. The Amazon rainforest is seeing this now with the rape of the land by logging and mining. This area is ripe for Covid-19 spread.
The risk of mosquito-borne viruses will increase in the tropics, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, poorer countries will be hardest hit. Dengue fever, for example, will hit hard in areas where people can’t afford air conditioning and protections against disease exposure. West Nile Virus, enhanced by warmer temperatures, will spread easier in birds and then to people.
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I have included some informative YouTube videos you might get some good information from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruOl1R5cpnw
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Here are some good articles to read.
https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/how-climate-change-increases-our-risk-for-pandemics
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/coronavirus-and-climate-change/
https://www.propublica.org/article/climate-infectious-diseases
https://tbrnewsmedia.com/the-connection-between-climate-change-and-pandemics/
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I hope my introduction to this topic enticed you to click on some of the Youtube and reading links. The more we know, the better off we are.
Thank you for reading.
Blaze McRob
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