The Green Elephant

The Destruction of Nature and the Release of Viruses

'Tip of the iceberg': is our destruction of nature responsible for Covid-19?As habitat and biodiversity loss increase globally, the coronavirus outbreak may be just the beginning of mass pandemics

The Ecology of DiseaseA developing model of infectious disease shows that most epidemics — AIDS, Ebola, West Nile, SARS, Lyme disease — are a result of things people do to nature.

Our Growing Food Demands Will Lead to More Corona-like VirusesAs agriculture expands, habitats will shrink. That will likely lead to higher numbers of the species that transmit deadly diseases.

Deforestation And Climate Change Could Unleash A Mind-Boggling Number Of Coronaviruses — ForbesEpidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley calls for increased surveillance of viruses in areas where they are prone to emerge—deforested areas and environments under stress from climate change.

The disconcerting association between overpopulation and the COVID-19 crisisOvercrowding and population density are indirect factors in a pandemic's reach, and they are as important to its impact as its pathology

Human impact on wildlife to blame for spread of viruses, says studyIncreased contact with animals likely cause of outbreaks such as Covid-19, say experts, as conservationists call for global ban on wildlife markets

Visualizing the History of PandemicsThe history of pandemics, from the Antonine Plague to the ongoing COVID-19 event, ranked by their impact on human life.

It takes a whole world to create a new virus, not just China | Laura SpinneyViruses such as Covid-19 wouldn’t emerge in food markets if it wasn’t for factory farming, globalised industry and rapid urbanisation, says science journalist Laura Spinney

Deforestation is leading to more infectious diseases in humansAs more and more forest is cleared around the world, scientists fear that the next deadly pandemic could emerge from what lives within them.

Destroyed Habitat Creates the Perfect Conditions for Coronavirus to EmergeCOVID-19 may be just the beginning of mass pandemics

100 Groups Urge Congress to Address COVID-19 Causes: Wildlife Trade, Habitat DestructionCenter for Biological Diversity: WASHINGTON— More than 100 organizations urged Congress today to address the wildlife trade and habitat destruction, the root causes of emerging zoonotic diseases like COVID-19 that have erupted over the past several decades in the United States and around the world.

‘A common germ pool’: The frightening origins of the coronavirus“We need to see what nature is trying to tell us here. We need to recognize that we’re playing with fire.”

Environmental destruction is making the next coronavirus more likely — GristSprawling cities, habitat loss, and climate change are a dangerous mix. Sign up for Grist's "Climate in the Time of Coronavirus" newsletter Sources: Grist| The frightening origins of the coronavirus WHO | Origins of the 2014 Ebola epidemic Jones, et al. | Global trends in emerging infectious diseases David Quammen | Spillover

'Streets of horror': Wildlife trade continues despite coronavirus warning — Yahoo News AustraliaWARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Despite COVID-19 originating in animals, Africa, South East Asia and Australia are continuing to trade in wildlife.

'We did it to ourselves': scientist says intrusion into nature led to pandemicLeading US biologist Thomas Lovejoy says to stop future outbreaks we need more respect for natural world

20 of the worst epidemics and pandemics in historyPlagues and epidemics have ravaged humanity throughout its existence, often changing the course of history.

Animals

TCM Is Powerless to Stop the Rare Animal TradeAppeals from traditional Chinese medicine's top organziations are being ignored

COVID-19 Could Threaten Already Vulnerable Great ApesThe new coronavirus may have passed from animals to humans, but now there are concerns that it could pass from humans to endangered species of apes.

Op-Ed: COVID-19 shows that what we're doing to animals is killing us, too Pandemics will become ever more common because of our use of animals and the destruction of their habitats.

Opinion | Coronavirus: Revenge of the Pangolins?China has banned the trade of wildlife, suspecting that exotic animals infected humans. What will that really do?

South Africa traffics thousands of endangered wild animals to China in ‘corrupt and growing’ trade, investigation finds — The IndependentSouth African traders with China are illegally selling thousands of wild animals threatened with extinction and endangered, under the guise of legal exports, according to an investigation.

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