Costs to prevent the next pandemic “equal to just 2% of Covid-19’s economic losses” | World News

The cost of preventing further pandemics over the next decade by protecting wildlife and forests represents 2% of the estimated economic damage caused by Covid-19, according to a new analysis.

Two new viruses each year Spilled from a wildlife host Researchers mean that today’s risks to human impact in the last century are higher than ever due to the ongoing destruction of nature.

They said it was essential to crack down on international wildlife trade and deforestation. Both bring wildlife into contact with people and livestock. But, according to experts, such efforts are now severely underfunded.

Wildlife graphics

Researchers predict that spending about $260 billion (£200 billion) over a decade will significantly reduce the risk of another pandemic at the scale of coronavirus outbreaks. That’s just 2% of Covid-19’s estimated $ 11.5 trillion cost to the world economy. In addition, spending on wildlife and forest protection will be largely canceled by another benefit of the action of reducing carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change.

The major programs scientists are looking for are far better regulations on wildlife trade, disease surveillance and wild and livestock management, Wild meat trade in ChinaReduce deforestation by 40% in key locations. They say that deforestation and forest bats, which may be reservoirs for Ebola virus, salus virus, Covid-19 virus, and tropical forests are at the “launch pad” of a new virus that infects humans. , Said there was a clear link between deforestation and the emergence of viruses.

“It’s naive to think of the Covid-19 pandemic as a once-in-a-century event,” said Andrew Dobson, a professor at Princeton University in the United States, who led the analysis. “Similar to what we do to the environment, they are getting faster, like climate change.”

“We are very pleased to meet you,” said Stuart Pim, a member of the research team at Duke University in the United States. “Investment in prevention could be the best insurance for human health and the world economy in the future. It can stop future pandemics before they even begin.”

The UN Director of Environment welcomed the analysis. “Science couldn’t be more explicit,” said Inger Andersen. “With the recovery surface of Covid-19, we can’t afford to take a phased approach to tackling the disease. [from wildlife].. Regardless of the final invoice [for coronavirus], We can say with confidence that our actions now save billions of dollars in future costs and avoid the tremendous suffering we continue to see around the world. “

Analysis is the latest plea from the experts to the government Tackle the destruction of nature Helps prevent future pandemics. This month, the UN reported that the world is Treatment of health and economic symptoms An environmental cause, not a coronavirus pandemic. The June expert said the pandemic wasSOS signal For the Human Enterprises”; in April, a world-leading biodiversity expert said more deadly disease outbreaks Was likely Unless nature is protected.

analysis, Published in Science Magazine, Environmental, medical, economics, conservation professionals. In particular, he pointed out that the wildlife enforcement network lacked funding. While Southeast Asia’s network has an annual budget of $30,000, the global wildlife trade group Cites earns $6 million annually.

“The wildlife trade is deeply corrupt,” Dobson said. “Politics in some countries want it unstoppable in many.”

Researchers said indigenous peoples who depend on wildlife for food must be protected from any restrictions.

Researchers have announced that ending the trade in wild meat in China is key and will cost about $20 billion a year. “I was shocked by the number of people employed, millions,” said Dobson. He added that there were few wildlife veterinarians in China. “The frontier trench army is missing”

Akanksha Khatri, Of the World Economic Forum Nature action agenda“Covid-19 has shown that humans and our economic activities depend on the ecological balance of the Earth. If we continue to push this delicate balance, we are in danger.”

Veterinary expert at the World Health Organization, Stephen De La Roque, said analysis was very necessary and leaders began to understand the issue after Covid-19: “We really argued It’s my first time to do wildlife [and disease] And we realized that we don’t have a wildlife surveillance system. “