Deforestation Drives Disease, Climate Change | UCSD

In the wake of Earth Day, affiliate Teevrat Garg discusses the wider implications of deforestation, including its contribution to climate change and the spread of disease.

“Deforestation is not an issue dominating headlines in the U.S. right now, but Teevrat Garg, an assistant professor of economics at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, thinks it should be. Deforestation has been linked to both the spread of infectious disease and climate change, and what is most alarming, it’s happening at a rapid rate.

Even though the annual rate of deforestation has halved over the last 25 years, vast areas of forests continue to be lost. And, it’s an issue that deserves our attention as the world celebrates Earth Day this week.

‘Changes to the physical environments induced by humans through deforestation leads to changes in the health outcomes of local populations and contributes to the global problem of climate change, among other adverse effects,’ said Garg, who studies environmental impacts on developing countries. ‘More and more research points to the fact that when we engage in activities like deforestation, we don’t fully understand the ripple effects. The consequences can be quite dire.'”

Source: Deforestation Drives Disease, Climate Change and It’s Happening at a Rapid Rate