Climate change plays a vital role in a global pandemic, because of the increasing temperature and deforestation of trees, animals are forced to leave their natural habitat and migrate to a better habitual environment which affects their reproduction cycle. Another point is that during the migration when animals from different species migrate to the same environment the pathogen which transfer from one species to another later mutates and become more powerful. When these pathogen carrying animals come in contact of human, thus attack the human immune system and infect them. Considering the nature, the spread of these viruses spread vigorously and become a global pandemic.
Cutting down trees mean less photosynthesis which produces more Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and less oxygen (O2) for living organisms and for the environment. CO2 contributes harmful gases to the atmosphere and contributes to rising temperatures. The flora of the Amazon rainforest absorbs 1.5bn tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year, equivalent to 4% of emissions from fossil fuels. But in the recent decade the Amazon Rainforest lost 25 % of it’s’ forest. Because of that Brazil is considered one of the biggest countries to contribute to climate change. Deforestation contributes to 10% of global warming (“Tropical Deforestation Change”) and contributes to the loss of biodiversity, less water, and disruption in the water cycle, soil erosion. Moreover, we are seeing more droughts, tropical storms, wildfires because of the deforestation of trees.
The trees and animals are helping each other to maintain the balance of the environment and if that balance is being compromised then the biodiversity will change for the worse. Rising temperatures and not enough safe space for animals to survive causes them to migrate to a cooler environment. The balance of biodiversity is much needed so that the animals don’t need to migrate from their habitat. Deforestation and a warming climate is destroying biodiversity caused by human activities. According to the World Resource Institute, there is only 4 billion hectors of planet forests available today. Hence, more than 70 % of animals have moved to a better, habitable place in the last decade. The interruption in diversity forced animals to move to the nearshore and places where humans live. The viruses that animals carry with them to the shores that are inhabited by humans, causes pandemics like ANTHRAX, EBOLA, ZIKA, or most recent COVID- 19 (Abraham Lustgarten).
In addition, Climate Change is having a huge impact on the United States, because of increased temperatures and arctic ice melts we are seeing disruption in the ecosystem, longer seasons, increased heatwaves, floods, and storms. Because of climate change, the average temperature of the United States is expected to rise 2.5-degree Fahrenheit from 2021 -2050 (Wobbles).
Covid-19 is a global pandemic which affected millions of people and people are still fighting the deadly virus today. Climate change is one of the primary causes of the virus’ emergence. According to (Beyer et al.) the Covid-19 virus SARS COV1 and COV2 mainly originated from bats and which was later transmitted to Pangolin and transported to Wuhan, China in the wildlife market. From there the virus spread to humans. Due to increased temperatures and the rise in CO2, different species of bats migrated to the southern Chinese Yunnan province where tropical savannas and deciduous woodland created a safe harbor for them.
In addition, The United States has had more Covid-19 deaths than any other country in the world, according to World meter data there have been 1,059,255 COVID-19 related death reported up until October 28, 2022. Because of COVID whole countries had to go into lockdown and normal social life is still somewhat disrupted. Millions of people lost their jobs because of that and the economy is in a recession right now.
Lastly, global warming and the climate crisis were an integral reason for a global pandemic like COVID-19, and we cannot deny the necessity of a balanced nature. If we keep destroying forests and disrupt nature, we will have to face the consequences of our own doing. That’s why we should make effective global policy and create awareness amongst people for the preservation of nature. We should also stop polluting the earth and find an appropriate path to recycle the resources we consume from the earth.
References
- Beyer, Robert M. et al. “Shifts in Global Bat Diversity Suggest A Possible Role of Climate Change in the Emergence of SARS-Cov-1 and SARS-Cov-2”. Science of the Total Environment, vol 767, 2021, p. 145413. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145413. Accessed 23 Mar 2021.
- Goodell, J. (2020, December 29). How climate change is ushering in a new pandemic era. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture- features/climate-change-risks-infectious-diseases-covid-19-ebola-dengue-1098923/
- Climate change and the Amazon. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/latin-america/brazil/stories-in- brazil/deforestation-and-climate- change/#:~:text=When%20trees%20are%20cut%20down,is%20released%20into%20our %20atmosphere.&text=Trees%20in%20the%20Amazon%20rainforest,released%20and% 20less%20is%20absorbed.
4.Lustgarten, Abraham. “How Climate Change Is Contributing to Skyrocketing Rates of Infectious Disease.” ProPublica, www.propublica.org/article/climate-infectious-diseases.
5.Horsley, Scott. “It’s Official: U.S. Economy Is In A Recession.” NPR, NPR, 8 June 2020, www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/06/08/872336272/its-official- scorekeepers-say-u-s-economy-is-in-a-recession.
- “Tracking Covid-19’s Global Spread.” CNN, Cable News Network, edition.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-maps-and-cases/
- Wobbles, Donald. “How Will Climate Change Affect the United States in Decades to Come?” Eos, 3 Nov. 2017, eos.org/features/how-will-climate-change-affect-the-united- states-in-decades-to-come.
