Climate Change and COVID 19

Climate Change and COVID-19

By Sarah Moore, M.Sc.
Reviewed by Sophia Coveney, B.Sc.
In recent years, conversations about climate change have become
increasingly urgent as governments and organizations around the world have
gained a deeper understanding of the significant and irreversible negative
impact that human activity is having on the planet.
Image Credit: PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek/Shutterstock.com
At the time the COVID19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic, climate
change was at the forefront of political conversations and agendas. It was
considered to be a crucial time to take decisive action to protect the future of
the planet. However, the world’s spotlight moved away from climate change
as the impact of the pandemic wore on.
Now, scientists are highlighting the similarities between the two crises, even
suggesting that climate change may have been a causal factor in the COVID
19 pandemic. Here, we highlight the relationship between the pandemic and
climate change, assess the role of climate change in the pandemic, and
review the proposal that responses to the pandemic and climate change
should be aligned.
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Similarities between climate change and
COVID19 crises
Although the COVID19 pandemic and climate change do not immediately
appear similar, upon closer inspection a number of significant shared factors
are revealed. Both crises are attributed to substantial unnecessary loss of life.
COVID19 is known to impact particularly the elderly and those with
underlying health conditions, causing severe respiratory disease, and climate
change affects air quality, drinking water, food supply and shelter all factors
that are associated with health. Climate change is expected to cause around
250,000 additional deaths annually between 2030 and 2050. COVID19 has
already claimed the lives of 2.3 million people worldwide since the start of the
pandemic.
Both the COVID19 pandemic and climate change are known to impact
certain demographic groups more so than others. Research has revealed that
the vulnerable and disadvantaged pay a greater price in both scenarios, with
people in poverty suffering the impacts of climate change and the pandemic
more so than the rich. Unfortunately, there have long been disparities
between the poor and rich in terms of health care and exposure to factors
that poorly affect health. The pandemic and climate change highlight these
disparities.
Finally, both crises have pushed regional healthcare systems around the world
to the limit. Climate change and COVID19 have resulted in large numbers of
people being hospitalized, forcing countries to reassess how they manage
their healthcare systems.
Was climate change a causal factor of the
COVID19 outbreak?
In January of 2021, a paper published in the journal Science of the Total
Environment revealed evidence that climate change may have played a direct
causal role in the emergence of the virus responsible for the COVID19
pandemic, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2).
An international team of scientists from institutions in the UK, Germany, and
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the US were able to link the climatic changes that occur as a result of climate
change directly to COVID19. They emphasize that the number of bat species
present is linked with the number of coronaviruses in a particular
environment.
Due to climate change, factors such as temperature, atmospheric carbon
dioxide, and cloud cover are evolving. These factors have a direct impact on
the growth of plants and trees. Therefore, climate change is affecting natural
habitats and ecosystems via altering environmental factors. Even subtle
adjustments can have a great impact on the species living within an
ecosystem. The recent paper revealed that climatic changes directly fostered
a favorable environment for many bat species to thrive, allowing for the
emergence of novel coronaviruses including the SARSCoV2 strain.
COVID19 is not the only infectious disease linked to climate change. For
many years the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the link
between changing environmental conditions and epidemic diseases. It is
hoped that now, this link may take center stage, forcing policymakers to
consider the widereaching impact of climate change and make calculated
strategies to prevent further environmental damage and reverse, where
possible, the damage that has already occurred.
Coronavirus: What has Covid done for climate crisis? BBC News
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The benefit of aligning responses to COVID
19 and climate change
Experts have proposed that aligning government responses to the COVID19
pandemic and climate change would allow for the overall improvement of
public health, as well as foster a sustainable economic future for regions
worldwide. In addition, aligning responses offers a chance to protect the
planet’s biodiversity and limit further changes to diverse ecosystems.
A 2020 report by The Lancet highlighted the need to align responses to both
crises in order to address them optimally. Because of the common factors of
the pandemic and climate change, converging responses is rational. Both are
linked to human activity and both lead to the degradation of the environment.
As well as humaninduced climate change influencing outbreaks of disease,
the wildlife trade is a significant factor in the spread of zoonotic diseases such
as SARSCoV2. Illegal wildlife trade cause humans to mix with different
species in places where they are not supposed to, fuelling zoonosis.
Climate change and infectious disease cause preventable loss of human life.
Through strategic adjustments, further loss of life can be stopped.
Over the coming years, we will likely see more strategies implemented to
amend human behavior so that it has less impact on the environment, and,
consequently on the spread of infectious diseases.
References
Beyer, R., Manica, A. and Mora, C., 2021. Shifts in global bat diversity
suggest a possible role of climate change in the emergence of SARS
CoV1 and SARSCoV2. Science of The Total Environment, 767,
p.145413. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S0048969721004812?via%3Dihub
Climate Change Could Have Played A Role In The Covid19 Outbreak.
David Bresson. Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/d
avidbressan/2021/02/08/climatechangecouldhaveplayedarolein
thecovid19outbreak/?sh=3c4240b611ef
Impacts of COVID19 disproportionately affect poor and vulnerable: UN
chief. UN News. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/106
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chief. UN News. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/106
7502
The Lancet, 2021. Climate and COVID19: converging crises. The Lancet,
397(10269), p.71. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/
PIIS01406736(20)325794/fulltext
Watts, N., Amann, M., Arnell, N., et al., 2021. The 2020 report of The
Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to
converging crises. The Lancet, 397(10269), pp.129170. https://ww
w.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS01406736(20)32290X/fullt
ext
Whitehead, M., TaylorRobinson, D. and Barr, B., 2021. Poverty, health,
and covid19. BMJ, p.n376. https://www.bmj.com/content/37
2/bmj.n376
Further Reading
All Coronavirus Disease COVID19 Content
What Mutations of SARSCoV2 are Causing Concern?
Protecting Your Mental Health During a Pandemic
How has the COVID19 Pandemic Impacted Global Health?
COVID19 and Smell Loss (Anosmia)
More...
Last Updated: Mar 24, 2021
Written by
arah Moore
After studying Psychology and then Neuroscience, Sarah quickly found her
enjoyment for researching and writing research papers; turning to a passion to
connect ideas with people through writing.
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