Climate change may have triggered coronavirus, says study
The study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, noted that the southern Chinese Yunnan province and neighbouring regions in Myanmar and Laos form a global hotspot of climate change-driven increase in bat richness
PTI | February 6, 2021 | Updated 14:09 IST
Based on earlier studies, the researchers said the number of coronavirus family of viruses present in an area is strongly correlated with the local bat species richness
Climate change may have influenced the outbreaks of the novel coronavirus as well as the 2002-03 SARS pandemic virus, suggests a new study which says the global crisis triggered by the release of greenhouse gasses likely altered the distribution of bat species that carry these pathogens. The study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, noted that the southern Chinese Yunnan province and neighbouring regions in Myanmar and Laos form a global hotspot of climate cha
Scientists claim climate change may have played a role in Covid-19 pandemic
A University of Cambridge study has said greenhouse gases have made China a hotspot for bats which host coronaviruses which may have led to the outbreak which brought the world to a halt
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Climate change may have played a role in Covid-19 pandemic – study 05/02/2021, 12:03 pm
Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a ‘hotspot’ for many bat species that host coronaviruses (Peter Byrne/PA)
Climate change may have played a direct role in the emergence of Sars-CoV-2 – the virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, a study has suggested.
Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a “hotspot” for many bat species that host coronaviruses, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge.
The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, should be “an urgent wake-up call to reduce global emissions”.
Published 5 February 2021
Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a hotspot for bat-borne coronaviruses, by driving growth of forest habitat favored by bats.
Science of the Total Environment provides the first evidence of a mechanism by which climate change could have played a direct role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study has revealed large-scale changes in the type of vegetation in the southern Chinese Yunnan province, and adjacent regions in Myanmar and Laos, over the last century. Climatic changes including increases in temperature, sunlight, and atmospheric carbon dioxide - which affect the growth of plants and trees - have changed natural habitats from tropical shrubland to tropical savannah and deciduous woodland. This created a suitable environment for many bat species that predominantly live in forests.
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IMAGE: Estimated increase in the local number of bat species due to shifts in their geographical ranges driven by climate change since 1901.
The zoomed-in area represents the likely spatial. view more
Credit: Dr Robert Beyer
Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a hotspot for bat-borne coronaviruses, by driving growth of forest habitat favoured by bats.
A new study published today in the journal
Science of the Total Environment provides the first evidence of a mechanism by which climate change could have played a direct role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.