Soumya Swaminathan: Climate Crisis Could Fuel Future Disease Outbreaks

Climate Change Could Spark New Pandemics, Warns Former WHO Scientist

Former WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has warned that climate change could trigger new viruses and future pandemics, as rising temperatures, extreme weather, and rapid biodiversity loss increase the chances of pathogens jumping from animals to humans.

Speaking in Hyderabad, Swaminathan said scientists still lack crucial data from the Wuhan lab to fully determine COVID-19’s origins, though the virus likely jumped to humans through an intermediate animal host. She dismissed theories of deliberate manufacture as having “very little scientific basis.”

Swaminathan highlighted how climate change affects virus behavior. Warmer temperatures and environmental stress help pathogens cross species barriers. She cited H1N1 influenza, which increasingly spreads from birds to mammals, raising the risk of future outbreaks.

Biodiversity loss compounds the threat: nearly one million species face extinction, destabilizing ecosystems and increasing human exposure to new pathogens. Global temperatures have already passed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and could rise further by century’s end.

Extreme weather events—heatwaves, floods, droughts, landslides, and cyclones—not only disrupt livelihoods but also worsen health outcomes. “Mitigation and adaptation are both critical,” she stressed.

Swaminathan also emphasized that policy solutions exist. Countries like China and the UK have shown that renewable energy, efficient transport, better waste management, and energy-efficient buildings can reduce climate-related health risks.

Finally, she urged global cooperation, noting that pandemics and climate change are borderless threats requiring international collaboration and the sharing of scientific knowledge.