Global populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have suffered an average two-thirds decline in less than half a century due in large part to the very same environmental destruction which is contributing to the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, released today. The Living Planet…
15th annual Endangered Species Day offers educational opportunities On May 15th, 2020, America will celebrate endangered species success stories, including the protection and recovery of the American bald eagle, gray wolf, humpback whale, green sea turtle, American alligator, peregrine falcon and other species. Started in 2006 by the United States Congress, Endangered Species Day is…
This World Health Day (April 7), as the world grapples with the worst public health emergency in recent memory, over 90 percent of respondents surveyed in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong support a government-led closure of illegal and unregulated wildlife markets, according to new research for World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The recent outbreak of COVID-19…
by: Earth Talk Coronavirus has killed thousands of people and sickened hundreds of thousands (if not millions) more around the world. It has also caused mass hysteria and public health officials are bracing for the worst. The situation is mostly bad news, but the “silver lining” for the environment might be a downturn in carbon…
Diseases passed from animals to humans are on the rise, as the world continues to see unprecedented destruction of wild habitats by human activity. Scientists suggest that degraded habitats may encourage more rapid evolutionary processes and diversification of diseases, as pathogens spread easily to livestock and humans. The World Health Organization reports that an animal…
by: Liz Kimbrough and Mongabay • The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been characterized by the World Health Organization as a pandemic. As the virus spreads, so too does misinformation about its origins. • Rumors that COVID-19 was manufactured in a lab or that we know with full certainty which animal host passed the…
