A planet against us? Coronavirus more than 3 billion years old

Written by Chiara Rambaldi

The massive urbanisation, the dramatic deforestation, and the unnatural promiscuity between humans and animals is, according to Harvard researchers the insight cause of the world’s tremendous pandemic known as Covid-19.

The climate change crisis that humans are the engine of has deeply changed the natural habitats of animal species. Specifically, human intrusion in some of the most virgin animal habitats has developed into the transmission of viruses from animals to humans, viruses that if not disturbed within the animals’ habitat would have not been transmitted onto humans.

Deforestation and overpopulation has tremendously impacted ecosystems in the search for more space to develop cities, stealing from the planet we are not owners of, but only guests.

The tiny Coronavirus molecules that have stopped the world from functioning has its root causes in humans’ activities. From the massive urbanisation plans, humans have hunted several animal species, forcing them to leave their own habitat or to be killed. We have used those species as food and trade, and nature has backfired on us.

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It is calculated that one in every three epidemics is linked to deforestation. “Spill over” is the key word for understanding this dreadful pandemic, according to researchers. Specifically, the zoonosis, also known as infectious diseases, that are transmitted from animals to humans, are more than 200, at least the ones we have an awareness of.

In recent years, David Quammen, a scientific expert, has discussed the new entries in the zoonosis, which are mainly viruses, which caused the most dreadful and notorious epidemics in the last five or six decades. The first of all these infectious viruses which caused a pandemic is “Machupo”, which started in Bolivia in 1961. It follows “Marburg”, a virus which started in 1967 known to be the heir of Ebola. Then, in 1976, “Ebola” manifested itself. Consequently, “HIV” was identified in 1981.

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