Disturb forests, trigger new pandemics — study

“Halting and reversing forest loss is increasingly recognised as a means to mitigate the effects of climate change and address biodiversity collapses” Johan Oldekop, University of Manchester FAO’s State of the World’s Forests Report 2020 says that the majority of new infectious diseases are zoonotic and their emergence may be linked to changes in forest areas, as well as the expansion of human populations into forest areas. According to the study, the unprecedented exodus of forest communities to urban areas is shaping the future of forests. According to the study, during 2001—2015, 27 per cent of forest disturbance was attributed to commodity-driven deforestation.

Asian countries tap satellite data to fight COVID-19

Speed read Asia Pacific countries leverage satellite data and artificial intelligence Fighting COVID-19 and meeting SDGs are high on applications Digital divide remains a handicap between and within countries [MANILA] Asia Pacific countries are leveraging geospatial information, digital solutions and artificial intelligence to enhance their response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a new report. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency analysed reduced night-light images to monitor the impact of lockdown measures. “Data is now a strategic asset” Tiziana Bonapace, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Last March, the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) solicited proposals for projects that use geospatial information in response to COVID-19.

Secure meat-hungry food systems to prevent next pandemic

Speed read Intensive agriculture for animal protein source of emerging diseases, experts say But, understanding of animal pathogen spillover incomplete, making pandemic prediction difficult Investment needed in early warning systems, One Health preparedness Sustainable agriculture and better health monitoring needed to break chain of disease transmission in food systems. Environmental hotspots Agriculture and meat production are significant contributors of greenhouse gases, both directly and through land-use change — Andersen notes that the drivers of pandemics are often the same drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss. "Climate change results in changing environmental conditions, which impacts on the ecosystem characteristics and as a result, it changes the distribution of animal species, and therefore also of any microorganisms which they carry,” Dirk Pfeiffer, a professor of veterinary epidemiology at City University of Hong Kong and the Royal Veterinary College in London, tells SciDev.Net.