Guest commentary – With more Ecology against the next PandemieDie rapidly by the end of biodiversity, and our ecological footprint are decreasing are the drivers of future pandemics. 126 Swiss researchers call for policy to tackle.Opinion Joseph Tarradellas, Alexandre Buttler, Jacques Dubochet , Michel Mayor7 Kommentare7
depletion can also lead to pandemics: slash and burn for future cassava monocultures in the Brazilian rain forest.Photo: Antoine Lorgnier (BIOS photo)

The world health organization (WHO) started in the beginning of 2018 is a “disease X” in the list of infectious diseases that can potentially pose a threat of international Dimension. In addition, they called on governments to do everything possible to processes that promote mass epidemics, in the run-up to the tie.

Some of the pandemics we have already had before Covid-19 experienced. That more are to be expected, is as good as safe. The associated health, medical, social, and economic problems are, we can see how all of the in the Moment huge. But they are not the only ones that need to be solved.

The Covid-19-epidemic falls in the group of zoonoses: infectious diseases that are transmitted between wildlife, domestic animals and people. The vast majority of viruses and is harmless to people, but a small percentage of infectious species sufficient to form a phenomenal Reserve of aggressive disease to widen.

For years, we are confronted with HIV, Ebola, Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, Lassa fever, Sars, H5N1, H1N1, and other new diseases. Their number seems to be in the last 50 years to be on the rise. Therefore, it is becoming more and more frequent epidemics. It animals life is less and less wild on the earth. They make up only 5 percent of the biomass of all land mammals.

Therefore you might think that the threat posed by the Transmission of a Virus from wild mammals to people, decreases. The opposite is the case. Because our footprint on the planet as a whole has become problematic. This clearly shows the global report of the intergovernmental platform for biodiversity and ecosystem services (IPBES).

The high level of fragmentation and urbanisation of natural landscapes and the alarming depletion of biological diversity have the consequence that the food chains are in the natural disturbed so strong, that wild animals have to Dodge in many places, of necessity, on resources, resulting from human activities.

but the risk of Transmission of pathogens from wild animals to humans is increased, either directly or through their domestic and farm animals. Viruses can benefit from these new much more frequent contacts with new potential hosts. Those who skip, will benefit from the global networking of our activities, as we see it at the Virus Sars-Cov-2 now.

pandemics are only one aspect of global change. Not less worrying is the mass extinction is caused by the change in the natural environment, overexploitation of natural resources, the pollution of air, water and soils and the greenhouse gas emissions caused climate disruption.

The human race is today faced with the consequences of their own activities. Like the IPCC for climate, the IPBES has comprehensive knowledge of the facts concerning the challenges in the conservation of biodiversity and Ecosystems. The resulting conclusions need to acquire all the social actors, especially the elected politicians, they want to initiate national and supra-national policies that address these challenges.

the four of us speak in the name of a total of 126 scientists from Switzerland, the call on our politicians, without delay, to the factors in the upcoming dramatic pandemics, ultimately, are based on.

As an important step in the direction of the required change, we recommend to take innovative measures to be more determined than before to counteract the climate change, the biodiversity, the tropical forests and other natural habitats to protect on Land and in the water, and to promote a more respectful land use, and to reduce an economy that allows our environmental footprint significantly.

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