Climate Changes Effects on COVID 19
In densely populated cities such as New York, we can see higher rates of COVID 19 transmission. However, the larger issue is the high levels of air pollution worsening the disease, its adversity, and ultimately its death toll.
We are living in an age where each crisis is not discrete but rather the result of increasingly complex events. While some disasters have a direct correlation with climate change (such as increasing temperatures, leading to wildfires in Australia), there are several crises where the link to climate change is less visible. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, produced by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is one such example. The effects of climate change on animal migration and the introduction of new pathogens to humans, as well as pollution from fossil fuels, confer a worse outcome with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
COVID 19 arouse unexpectedly. Within a small market selling wild animals in Wuhan, China, this novel virus is believed to have originated. From animal to a human, cases have escalated to over one million in dozens of countries (As of April 13th). How did it spread so fast? Besides globalization, one of the leading factors is climate change. While there is no firm link between virus transmission and increased temperature, many observe subtle changes. Harvard School of Public Health notes, “As the planet heats up, animals big and small, on land and in the sea, are headed to the poles to get out of the heat - creating an opportunity for pathogens to get into new hosts. Loss of habitat forces animals to migrate and potentially contact other animals or people and share germs. Large livestock farms can also serve as a source for spillover of infections from animals to people.”
Similarly, Zoonotic diseases (a disease spreading from animals to humans) have quadrupled in the last 50 years according to a letter more than 100 wildlife and environmental groups sent to Congress this week. As we change our landscape (such as deforestation), we introduce species to each other that have never had such close contact. These externalities can significantly impact the spread of a pathogen.
Population Density
Most notably, climate change-related issues are increasing the adverse effects of the coronavirus. For example, increased levels of air pollution can worsen respiratory illnesses, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). In cities such as Wuhan China, we can see diseases spread much faster in denser areas (population of over 11 million). We can also view this in New York, the new hotspot of COVID 19 in the U.S. More people, means more virus transmission. What is less observed, is that with a denser population, air pollution skyrockets. A study done on SARS by NCBI, a virus closely related to COVID-19, found that people who breathed dirtier air were about twice as likely to die from the infection. Put differently; climate change raises the death rate twice as high.
Climate change is overarching everything. Hopefully, we can learn from the COVID 19 tragedy to help us better prepare for the next one. Climate change and the coronavirus have many similarities. When we overcome this pandemic, it is up to our politics, scientists, and you to prepare for the future. Until then, we must deal with the intrusive consequences of a carbon-intensive world.
