By: Sofia Chassomeris, Opinions Editor
There it is again, that funny feeling. Climate change is causing catastrophic floods, droughts, wildfires, atmospheric rivers, bomb cyclones, and extreme temperatures around the world. In seemingly unrelated news, the US just reported the country’s first death from H5N1 bird flu. While the virus is mainly ravaging cattle and poultry, current factory farming practices which keep animals in close quarters increases the risk of transmission to other animals, including humans — it’s for this reason that population density is an important factor in our health. Aside from the (now) immediate consequences of “natural” disasters and dwindling ecosystems, a long-term consequence of climate change will be mass migration of humans and other species alike.
As the climate becomes more extreme, global regions are becoming uninhabitable. Many animals will be forced to migrate from their native habitats, and while encountering other species for the first time, provide the opportunity for viral transmission. Zoonotic viruses (also called zoonoses) are specifically viruses that “make the leap” to humans from other animals. Viruses that spread across species to other animals are more likely to be able to spread to humans in a spillover event, which is how viral species like HIV, Ebola, SARS-CoV-2, Mpox or bird flu emerged in the human population.
In 2022, researchers studied the potential migration of 3,000 mammal species to predict the effect of global warming on populations and the spread of cross-species viruses for the year 2070. They found as populations move and encounters between species happen with greater frequency, the rate of cross-species virus spread will also increase. As well, it was predicted that “future hotspots” for mammals in 50 years will coincide with areas highly populated by humans — this means a higher chance of cross-species transmission and a greater possibility for novel pandemics.
“Climate change is scary, but it’s already here. We will not get anywhere pretending that the sheer amount of natural catastrophes and novel illnesses are consequences of anything else.”
Even by slowing the speed of global warming and decreasing carbon emissions, the research suggests that “mitigation alone cannot reduce the likelihood of climate-driven viral sharing. Instead, the mildest scenarios for global warming appear likely to produce at least as much or even more cross-species viral transmission.” The researchers emphasize however, that this does not mean we should stop trying.
Climate change is a difficult topic to broach because it is not simple enough of a problem for there to be one concise solution. What we need is international collaboration and for world leaders to take climate change seriously; stop putting money into extracting resources and, for example, invest in farming practices that will reduce emissions and the spread of viruses among livestock. As food insecurity worsens globally (particularly due to the unviable, changing climate) the need for more water-efficient and sustainable farming has never been more apparent.
While there are large-scale implications of climate change which beg for comprehensive solutions, one aspect we can manage in our day-to-day lives is the health and well-being of our communities. By wearing masks in indoor public spaces like the grocery store or transit, we can contribute to keeping ourselves and the most vulnerable in our communities safe. As well, making sure that our spaces have proper air flow and ventilation can be an impactful way to prevent the spread of communicable disease.
Climate change is scary, but it’s already here. We will not get anywhere pretending that the sheer amount of natural catastrophes and novel illnesses are consequences of anything else.
