联合国、世界卫生组织和世界自然基金会的领导人指出，新冠肺炎等大流行病是人类破坏自然的结果，而几十年来全世界一直在无视这个赤裸裸的现实。科学家指出，少吃肉和奶制品是人们减少对地球环境影响的最主要方法。

Pandemics such as coronavirus are the result of humanity's destruction of nature, according to leaders at the UN, WHO and WWF International, and the world has been ignoring this stark¹ reality for decades.

 

The illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade as well as the devastation² of forests and other wild placeswere still the driving forces behind the increasing number of diseases leaping from wildlife to humans, the leaders told the Guardian³.

 

They are calling for a green and healthy recoveryfrom the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular by reforming destructive farming and unsustainable diets.

 

A WWF report published on Wednesday, warns: "The risk of a new [wildlife-to-human] disease emerging in the future is higher than ever, with the potential to wreak⁴ havoc⁵ on health, economies and global security."

 

High-level figures have issued a series of warnings since March, with the world's leading biodiversity experts saying even more deadly disease outbreaks are likely in future unless the rampant⁶ destruction of the natural world is rapidly halted.

 

Earlier in June, the UN environment chief and a leading economist⁷ said Covid-19 was an "SOS signal for the human enterprise" and that current economic thinking did not recognise that human wealth depends on nature's health.

 

"We have seen many diseases emerge over the years, such as Zika, Aids, Sars and Ebola and they all originated from animal populations under conditions of severe environmental pressures," said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, head of the UN convention on biological diversity, Maria Neira, the World Health Organization director for environment and health, and Marco Lambertini, head of WWF International, in the Guardian article.

 

With coronavirus, "these outbreaks are manifestations⁸ of our dangerously unbalanced relationship with nature", they said. "They all illustrate⁹ that our own destructive behaviour towards nature is endangering our own health—a stark reality we've been collectively ignoring for decades."

 

"Worryingly, while Covid-19 has given us yet another reason to protect and preserve nature, we have seen the reverse take place. From the Greater Mekong, to the Amazon and Madagascar, alarming reports have emerged of increased poaching, illegal logging and forest fires, while many countries are engaging in hasty environmental rollbacks and cuts in funding for conservation. This all comes at a time when we need it most."

 

" We must embrace a just, healthy and green recovery and kickstart a wider transformation¹⁰ towards a model that values nature as the foundation for a healthy society.Not doing so, and instead attempting to save money by neglecting environmental protection, health systems, and social safety nets, has already proven to be a false economy. The bill will be paid many times over."

 

The WWF report concludes the key drivers for diseases that move from wild animals to humans are the destruction of nature, the intensification¹¹ of agriculture and livestock¹² production, as well as the trading and consumption of high-risk wildlife.

 

The report urges all governments to introduce and enforce laws to eliminate the destruction of nature from supply chains of goods and on the public to make their diets more sustainable.

Beef, palm oil and soy are among the commodities frequently linked to deforestation and scientists have said avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way for people to reduce their environmental impact on the planet.

 

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