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The COVID-19 pandemic has tragically exposed the risks humanity faces and how unprepared we are to respond. People's health, well-being, and livelihoods are all affected. These threats are multiplied by the growing impacts of the climate crisis - more extreme storms, droughts, heat waves, food crises, and diseases - which have not stopped. The Global Commission on Adaptation calls on world leaders to incorporate climate resilience into economic recovery packages. World leaders should align policies with longer-term climate objectives, build global partnerships, and mobilize private sector support for improved climate resilience.
WWF's international science team conducted a review of scientific and government literature to find out where and how nature and zoonotic pathogen pathways intersect. This literature review found that there are three critical enabling conditions that are causing an increase in these pathogen spill-over events from animals to humans: 1) Land-use change which results in the loss and degradation of nature, 2) Intensification and expansion of agriculture and animal production to meet increasing demand for animal protein worldwide, and 3) Exploitation of wildlife including the sale and consumption of high-risk live wild animals.
A new study in science developed by a group of public health experts, ecologists, economists and epidemiologists, outlines a groundbreaking plan to decrease the risk of future pandemics by 27 percent or more - with a 10-year investment that is 50 times less than the cost of coronavirus response efforts to date. The strategy highlights 3 ways to prevent future pandemics: reduce deforestation, restrict the global wildlife trade and monitor the emergence of new viruses before they spread.
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