How Climate Change and Deforestation Increases Disease Risk

As bulldozers and chainsaws cut deeper into the world's rainforests, they're doing more than merely clearing trees— they may be unleashing the next pandemic. The connection between deforestation and disease spread is one of the most neglected global public health threats, giving viruses a clear path to transfer from animals to humans in ways our forefathers never predicted.

Climate change enhances these risks. As temperatures rise, the ranges of disease vectors like mosquitoes and ticks are extended, and areas that have been deforested experience this first.

The Ecological Buffer Zone Disappears

Intact forests act as a natural buffer between humans and wildlife that may harbor potentially dangerous pathogens. When we fragment and destroy these ecosystems, we eliminate this protective buffer.