Pandemics, health and global change: how are they connected?

We are in the midst of a devastating pandemic. The coronavirus that leads to covid-19 is known to be a zoonotic disease - a virus that has spilled over from non-human animals to humans, and then rapidly moved across the world with devastating impacts on human health, economies and social stability.

What is the connection between environmental change and diseases such as coronaviruses? How strong is this connection, can we really blame bats, and what does the future of disease risks look like?

In this episode, Victor Galaz, deputy director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, talks to professor Kate Jones from University College London and Peter Søgaard Jørgensen from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Both are experts on the links between ecology, disease and global change.

Books and publications mentioned during the talk

The Stockholm Paragidm: Climate change and emerging disease

Doughnut economics, Kate Raworth

Coevolutionary governance of antibiotic and pesticide resistance

Evolution in the Anthropocene: informing governance and policy

Impacts of environmental and socio-economic factors on emergence and epidemic potential of Ebola in Africa

Global trends in emerging infectious diseases

Just want to listen? Here’s the podcast version:

About Rethink Talks

Rethink Talks is Stockholm Resilience Centre's multimedia podcast series on resilience thinking and global change. It spotlights conversations between experts on a range of topics that highlight how resilience thinking and biosphere stewardship add value to current debates on for instance COVID-19. Read more and see more episodes here