Humanity’s broken relationship with nature comes at a cost, revealed in terrible ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. Humans have increasingly encroached on the natural world, resulting in escalating contact with wildlife and new zoonotic diseases causing deadly pandemics.
“The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates that systemic changes must be made to address the environmental drivers of pandemics: unsustainable food systems, large-scale conversion of land for agriculture, and poor food safety standards permitting trade and consumption of high-risk wildlife species as demand for wild meat grows. “Now is the time for transformative action to protect natural ecosystems, to reduce the risk of future pandemics, and build towards nature positive, carbon neutral, sustainable and just societies.”
COVID-19: Urgent Call to Protect People and Nature
Conflict and Climate, Conflict Prevention/Mitigation/Resolution, Environment, Peace, Peace Research, Sustainability
An initiative committed to promoting sustainable peace through innovation and integration. It is based at Columbia University and aims to enhance integrative research and practice in sustainable peace, conflict engagement,…
An independent, non-partisan institution committed to promoting a more just and peaceful world through policy-oriented peace research. Addresses global challenges with peace researchers, policymakers, and community activists. Its strategies range…
It promotes sustainable land management and analyzes the economic impact of land degradation on a global scale. The initiative emphasizes the importance of sustainable land management and envisions a world…