‘Potentially devastating’: Climate crisis may fuel future pandemics

Zoonotic spillovers' expected to rise with at least 15,000 instances of viruses leaping between species over next 50 years

There will be at least 15,000 instances of viruses leaping between species over the next 50 years, with the climate crisis helping fuel a potentially devastating" spread of disease that will imperil animals and people and risk further pandemics, researchers have warned.

As the planet heats up, many animal species will be forced to move into new areas to find suitable conditions. They will bring their parasites and pathogens with them, causing them to spread between species that haven't interacted before. This will heighten the risk of what is called zoonotic spillover", where viruses transfer from animals to people, potentially triggering another pandemic of the magnitude of Covid-19.