Hotter and Sicker Times Ahead?

The climate crisis is likely to result in what scientists call a 'zoonotic spillover' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/28/climate-crisis-future-pandemics-zoonotic-spillover). As the planet heats up, many animal species will be forced to move to new areas to survive. When they move, they take their parasites and diseases with them. In these new locations, some parasites and diseases will find new hosts in humans and other animals. This jumping of disease agents to humans, results in what are termed zoonoses. Sars-CoV-2 is one such zoonosis that has achieved pandemic proportions. An expert virologist reckons that, world-wide, at least 15,000 viral species will infect new hosts over the next 50 years. This may well result in waves of new pandemics. Bats, because they are flying mammals, appear especially likely to trigger new zoonoses in humans. These animals and their viruses need to be especially carefully monitored. It's not, however, only wild animals moving into areas with humans that causes zoonoses. Humans exploiting animals in formerly relatively pristine areas will also facilitate viruses making jumps to other species. There may well be hotter and sicker times ahead, on our rapidly-heating planet.