Warming means wild animals will be forced to relocate their habitats, likely to regions with large human populations, dramatically increasing the risk of a viral jump to humans and lead to the next pandemic. Geographic range shifts bring greater opportunities for viruses like Ebola or coronaviruses to emerge in new areas, making them harder to track, and into new types of animals, making it easier for viruses to jump across a “stepping stone” species into humans. Bats account for the majority of novel viral sharing. Their ability to fly will allow them to travel long distances, and share the most viruses. The greatest impacts are projected in southeast Asia, a global hotspot of bat diversity.
Story Source: Georgetown University Medical Center
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220428085820.htm