Democracy Now!
The Link Between Climate Change and The Coronavirus Pandemic
“The spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases is exacerbated by changes in land use and encroachment of human populations on diverse wildlife areas, according to zoologist and disease ecologist Peter Daszak. While people in power, including President Trump, tout rumors that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab, decades of research shows a clear link between the climate crisis and the rise in infectious diseases. “We have to reassess our relationship with the environment and reduce our ecological footprint. It is for the benefit of conservation. It will reduce climate change. It will also stop us from getting sick,” Daszak says. “We can either wait for … another global recession or we can get out there and readdress our relationship with wildlife and make the planet a little bit healthier.”
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