Unless there is a radical transformation of the economic system, pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic will become more frequent and cause more deaths, experts warned today UN experts on biodiversity (IPBES) emphasizing that there is a vast reservoir of unknown viruses in the animal kingdom.
«Without prevention strategies, the pandemics »They will occur more frequently, spread more rapidly, kill more people, and have unprecedented devastating consequences for the global economy," the report warns.
The 22 scientists who were asked by IRBES to urgently prepare this report, without the benefit of the usual intergovernmental evaluation and approval process, reviewed hundreds of recent studies on the relationship between humans and nature, particularly regarding the consequences of the destruction of nature caused by human activities.
According to estimates published in the *Science* magazine in 2018 and are included in the report; there are approximately 1.7 million unknown viruses in mammals and birds, of which 540,000 to 850,000 «would be capable of infecting humans.».
However, the risk of human infection by these viruses—about which we know nothing—is multiplied by the increasingly close contact between wild animals, farm animals, and the human population.
After all, 70% of new diseases (Ebola, Zika) and «almost all known pandemics» (influenza, AIDS, COVID-19) are zoonoses, that is, they originate from animal pathogens.
«But it is wrong to blame wild animals for the emergence of these diseases,» the experts insist, pointing the finger at humans and the impact they have on their environment.
«There is no mystery surrounding the causes of the COVID-19 pandemic or any other modern pandemic,» Peter Daszak, who led this study, said in a statement.
«The very activities that cause climate change and the destruction of biodiversity »They highlight the risks of the pandemic because of its impact on our environment," he continues.
“One and the same crisis”
«Land-use change, the expansion and intensification of agriculture, as well as trade, unsustainable production, and consumption, disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens, and humans. They pave the way for pandemics.».
In light of this finding, the report calls for «bsignificant changes to prevent pandemics»so that we are no longer forced to simply manage and control pandemics when they occur.".
Experts recommend, for example, that studies to identify the geographic areas most at risk.
Above all, however, they advocate for reducing humanity’s impact on nature: reducing deforestation and habitat destruction, curbing the wildlife trade, and rethinking the agricultural and economic model more generally, in order to reduce human activities that are known for their negative environmental impacts (palm oil production, tropical timber, transportation infrastructure, livestock farming…).
These recommendations echo those largely proposed by experts in the field of combating climate change, whose views have struggled to gain traction, with many stakeholders citing the costs and the lack of acceptance of such far-reaching changes.
However, just as in the field of climate change—where experts point to the enormous future costs associated with disasters that are set to increase—IPBES experts say that An investment today would help reduce the economic impact of pandemics in the future.
‘That would cost about 100 times less an investment today to incorporate pandemic forecasting into global trade and land use, thereby sparing us the burden of future pandemics such as COVID-19—which had already cost between 8,000 and 16,000 billion dollars by July 2020—the report insists.
«The report emphasizes that the COVID-19 crisis is not just another crisis occurring at the same time as others—such as the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis,» said John Spicer, Professor of Marine Zoology at the University of Plymouth, according to the organization Science Media Center.
«Let's not kid ourselves—it's one and the same crisis, and it's the most significant one humanity has ever faced», added the scientist, who did not participate in the drafting of the report.
The @IPBES #P Pandemic Report launches TODAY!
Join the live launch at 3 p.m. CEST: https://t.co/oschVt3bsy
The report provides scientific evidence on the risk factors driving #COVID19 & other #pandemics & identifies what can be done differently to prevent future pandemics pic.twitter.com/dMfMgt0XTw
— ipbes (@IPBES) October 29, 2020
?The new #P Pandemic Report From @IPBES It's out now!?
Bringing together 22 scientists from around the world, it compiles the best available evidence on the links between #biodiversity & #pandemics.
?Full Report ➡️ https://t.co/IIVauI88sU
CBD Statement ⬇️https://t.co/Czypq5pRn2 pic.twitter.com/T5yl5hCBM9
— UN Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) October 29, 2020
