We cannot ignore the links between #COVID-19 and the warming planet | TheHill
▻https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/499604-we-cannot-ignore-the-links-between-covid-19-and-the-warming-planet
("Imaginez les humains obligés par un ouragan de se regrouper dans un abri en plein milieu d’une #épidémie ?")
It is well established that viruses jumping from the wild to humans are the major source of this threat, and we know that the #degradation and decline of forests weakens the natural barriers protecting us from the source of infection. Shrinking forests arise not only from deforestation caused by population growth and urbanization; global warming also affects forest health.
Unfortunately, the genie is out of the bottle. Although we may not be able to undo the damage caused by #deforestation to date, we may be able to reduce disease transmission by restoring the natural barriers between humans and wildlife, and discouraging their further erosion. This would require unprecedented land management programs, with particular focus on halting the devastation of tropical rain forests.
And does warming also amplify a pandemic’s toll on human welfare? The answer is yes, and the effect is greatest during the months when extreme climate-related events tend to be most widespread.
Imagine what would happen if, in the midst of a virus epidemic, we were to experience a hurricane of the ferocity of a Dorian stalled directly over a major metropolitan area? Or what if we were to suffer an extended record-shattering heatwave, such as the one that hit Europe in the summer of 2019? How would we deal with the associated blackouts and brownouts, and keep people safe from COVID-19 as they tried to find refuge at crowded parks and beaches? For those fortunate enough to survive such events, social distancing to slow the virus spread would not be an option.