World renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall warns “humanity is finished if we don’t adapt after COVID-19”. Tanzia Haq reports.
Speaking at an online event organized by Compassion in World Farming, Dr. Goodall has blamed the excessive exploitation of nature for profit as the leading reason behind the coronavirus pandemic.
The primatologist said that destruction of natural habitats, species made extinct through excessive hunting and intensive farming have all contributed to the virus jumping from animal to human. She further added that if our current food production systems are not altered, more diseases will continue to spill over and hurt human society.
Dr. Goodall stated that in order to avoid further destruction of human lives, human beings must be brought out of poverty so that they are not forced to destroy natural habitats to ensure their own survival. She said, “We have brought this on ourselves because of our absolute disrespect for animals and the environment…Our disrespect for wild animals and our disrespect for farmed animals has created this situation where disease can spill over to infect human beings.”
She further added, “If we do not do things differently, we are finished,”
Wildlife preservation groups are joining together over concerns about further infectious diseases resulting from wildlife destruction. Eighteen conservation groups have come forward in the Campaign to End Wildlife Trading movement, with the purpose of having world leaders call for a global wildlife trade ban at the G20 meeting in November. The conservation groups say that this ban will encompass exploitation of wildlife for traditional medicine, pets, tourism, consumption, among other purposes.
Dr. Goodall also said that the coronavirus pandemic has been an opportunity to change humanity’s relationship with the natural world, adding that there is now an opportunity to change how we produce our food and consumer products.
