Climate change and animal diseases: making the case for adaptation

Abstract

The exponential expansion of the human population has led to overexploitation of resources and overproduction of items that have caused a series of potentially devastating effects, including ocean acidification, ozone depletion, biodiversity loss, the spread of invasive flora and fauna and climatic changes - along with the emergence of new diseases in animals and humans. Climate change occurs as a result of imbalances between incoming and outgoing radiation in the atmosphere. This process generates heat. As concentrations of atmospheric gases reach record levels, global temperatures are expected to increase significantly. The hydrologic cycle will be altered, since warmer air can retain more moisture than cooler air. This means that some geographic areas will have more rainfall, whereas others have more drought and severe weather. The potential consequences of significant and permanent climatic changes are altered patterns of diseases in animal and human populations, including the emergence of new disease syndromes and changes in the prevalence of existing diseases. A wider geographic distribution of known vectors and the recruitment of new strains to the vector pool could result in infections spreading to more and potentially new species of hosts. If these predictions turn out to be accurate, there will be a need for policymakers to consider alternatives, such as adaptation. This review explores the linkages between climate change and animal diseases, and examines interrelated issues that arise from altered biological dynamics. Its aim is to consider various risks and vulnerabilities and to make the case for policies favoring adaptation.

Rising Temperature and the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Foot and Mouth Disease of Livestock in Mongolia

“…These seasonal movements are based on centuries of adaptation to the climate in the zones they inhabit, and this makes them vulnerable to climate-driven environmental effects and its sequalae [ 1 ]. Climate-driven changes in the availability of resources for livestock have caused changes in movement patterns of nomadic herders, and these movement changes tend to result in more contacts between livestock herds and between livestock and wildlife [ 2 ]. It has been postulated that climate-driven impacts on the environment will contribute to an increased emergence and proliferation of diseases of animals [ 3 ].…”

Morphometry of the wings of Anopheles aquasalis in simulated scenarios of climate change

“…The severity of climate change and its effects on different sectors of human activity are controversial subjects. However, the significant impacts of climate change on public health seem inevitable, especially in the appearance and spread of new diseases, with an emphasis on vector-borne diseases (VBDs) 1 , 2 .…”

“…They are of great ecological and economic importance, especially in food production 1 . However, mosquitoes belonging to the order Diptera (approximately 3,600 species) can transmit a multitude of diseases 2 . Major disease pathogens that are spread worldwide by mosquito vectors to the human population include arboviruses (Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses) 3 and Plasmodium spp., which are the etiological agents of human malaria.…”