Scientists warn worse pandemics are on the way if we don’t protect nature
· Pandemics like COVID-19 could occur more frequently unless we stop rapidly destroying nature, a group of biodiversity experts has warned · 1.7 million unidentified viruses, known to infect humans, are estimated to exist in mammals and water birds. · Rampant deforestation, agricultural expansion and infrastructure development bring us closer to catching them. A group of biodiversity experts warned that future pandemics are on the horizon if mankind does not stop its rapid destruction of nature. "There is a single species that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic – us. As with the climate and biodiversity crises, recent pandemics are a direct consequence of human activity – particularly our global financial and economic systems, based on a limited paradigm that prizes economic growth at any cost. We have a small window of opportunity, in overcoming the challenges of the current crisis, to avoid sowing the seeds of future ones," the authors