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Our Individual Socioecological Responsibility to End Coronavirus

How can ethical consumerism and environmental campaigning help eradicate coronaviruses? An Activists' Guide to Ending the Emergence of Zoonotic Conditions, Environmental Litigation and Reparations.

By Selina WhiteleyPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Coronavirus is a zoonotic condition driven by terrestrial transmission. As such, it is incumbent on the government to raise awareness of the anthrogenic origin of zoonotics with their links to deforestation, wildlife trafficking and climate change. However, with, according to the United Nations, a decade left to make climate change reversible, lifestyle changes must also be taken to minimise the chance of zoonotic disease emergence. These include reducing our carbon footprint, conserving and purifying water, ethically sourcing products, for instance ensuring they are Rainforest Alliance approved, dietary transition towards vegetarianism at best or at least avoidance of factory farming products and the boycott of the fur trade.

Conservation and purification of water will be a crucial step in reducing zoonoses such as coronaviruses/COVID. Every year 3.4 million people die as a result of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and typhoid fever, all of which have partially zoonotic determinants. Moreover, mosquitoes are vectors of diseases such as Zika, West Nile virus, Dengue and malaria, which are abundant in areas where there is untreated water or other small bodies of water. Furthermore, vectors are likely to increase and become widespread with climate change. This means both that all people should contribute to water purification efforts in the majority world and that water conservation can help to decrease the occurrence of zoonoses. Due to the ease of travel, supporting water purification in majority world nations such as Nepal, not only helps the domestic population, but will reduce the risk of global spread.

In the minority world, high volumes of water usage will increase the risk of pathogens entering water systems. Just as the early cases of HIV/AIDS were not understood, Albert Bosch, head of the Spanish advisory on Virology has said early cases of COVID, may have been incompently confused with flu. This means that as scientists in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Australia have all found coronaviruses in wastewater, they could be entering the water table. Furthermore, coronaviruses have a longer duration (28 days) compared to 3 days for airborne aerosol transmission meaning that water purification and water conservation which minimises the risk of rogue pathogens could help to save lives. Already, leading virologists have shown that coronaviruses have been found in small bodies of water like pools, ponds, reservoirs and other bodies worldwide like nova viruses. In the minority world, litigants have made the entry of pollutants and carcinogens into the water due to negligence or incompetence a criminal offence. Legal protections should also limit the spread of zoonoses.

Climate Change will be a core determinant of many zoonotic conditions due to changes in vectors migratory routes and the unlocking of diseases from permafrost. The risk of waterborne diseases will become ever more apparent as ice melts resurrecting diseases that have been frozen for several millennia. This pertains to the Himalaya as well as the Artic and Antartic. With regard to the Himalayan Plateau pathogens can then spread into the riverine systems of five nations including India and China. Due to the ease of travel, As Doctor Aaron Bernstein of Harvard University reports, warming waters and terrestrial climates mean that animals are mixing with other animals and humans in new ways, which in turn increases the potential for zoonotic overspill. The British Medical Journal affirms that socioecological behaviourial changes present a way to prevent or minimize the emergence of zoonoses, in particular as we reduce our carbon footprint.

A responsible diet will also be core to decreasing the risk of zoonotic spillovers. Many zoonotic conditions including diseases such as Campylobacter, Salmonella and viruses such as hepatitis A and noroviruses are foodborne and overspill cannot occur with a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, scientists such as Beatrice Hahn and Paul Sharp maintain HIV/AIDS likely emerged due to the consumption of bushmeat. Theoretically, just one omnivore human ingesting pathogens from a meat based source could lead to a zoonotic overspill which could cost millions of lives. For this reason among many others, such as a reduction in cacogenic agents and cardiac disease, leading scientists recommend vegetarian diets.

The transition from livestock farming to crop cultivation will reduce zoonotic disease emergence. British scientists have, following the United Nations Environment Program guidance, recommended changes to farming practices as a way to reduce zoonotic overspill. In particular, overcrowded factory farming, which facilitates zoonotic disease overspill, may have led to the recent mutations in both the UK and South Africa. Better management of animal-human interface and regulation of agronomic health would reduce the number of mutations. Furthermore, as the emergence of a coronavirus mutation in Denmark showed, fur farms can be a driver of coronavirus mutations as well. Therefore, people must campaign for better regulation on factory farming and fur production and, where possible, boycott fur and factory farmed products. Preferably, people could transition to a vegetarian diet.

Deforestation is a central cause of zoonotic diseases such as both Zika and HIV/AIDS. Many new zoonoses emerge as deforestation and habitat loss displace wildlife which then comes into increasing contact with human and domestic animal populations. The chance of zoonotic emergence is increased according to the diversity of wildlife microbes, e.g the zoonotic pool and the frequency with which wildlife interact with domestic animals. Since deforestation often occurs to establish agricultural land, displaced wildlife frequently come into contact with domestic animals. Furthermore, since forests are among the most biodiverse areas on earth, they tend to contain a high number of wildlife microbes, which can drive the transmission route. Not only does this increase the importance of ethical farming, it also adds another incentive for the ethical sourcing of palm oil and soya products, as well as wood. Therefore, ethical consumers should look for the approval of regulatory bodies such as the Rainforest Alliance.

Wildlife Conservation can not only halt the sixth age of mass extinction which is occurring, according to the United Nations, at an unprecedented rate, but also conserve a biodiversity buffer that protects against zoonotic overspill. As the World Health association maintains, by committing to wildlife conservation we can help to decrease zoonotic overspills. Every person can safeguard animals from extinction by supporting NGOS that work to save animals from extinction and through ethical consumerism which will minimize the habitat loss that drives many animals to extinction.

Every person on earth has been impacted by coronavirus. Zoonoses are indicators that the anthrogenic influences on the planet have become unsustainable. Radical behaviourial socioecological changes will be required to sustain human life. While wearing masks and being vaccinated are crucial steps towards the eradication of coronaviruses, it is also incumbent on each person to develop a more sensitive approach to life through reducing our carbon footprint, conserving and purifying water, ethically sourcing products, for instance ensuring they are Rainforest Alliance approved and dietary transition towards vegetarianism at best or at least avoidance of factory farming products and the boycott of the fur trade.

SELINA WHITELEY is a certified science writer. She has attained medical qualifications from the London School of Hygience and Tropical Medicine, the University of Bergen, the International Federation of the Red Cross and the British Association of Microbial Chemotherapy.

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About the Creator

Selina Whiteley

Published writer, Sel Whiteley, has a BA and a soon to be completed MA in Writing. She has an MA Peace and Conflict Resolution and further qualifications in human and environmental law and earth science. She is a certified science writer.

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