pandemics Archives - State of the Planet

palm plantation

Strengthening the Rights of Forest Guardians Can Reduce Future Pandemic Risk

A recent webinar discussed a critical yet often overlooked strategy for pandemic mitigation: securing the rights of Indigenous forest guardians.

by Elise Gout |January 11, 2021

The Communication Climate After 2020: Stormy but Hopeful

A global community, including the Earth Institute’s Initiative on Communication and Sustainability, is working hard to make information and connectivity matter a little more each day.

by |December 31, 2020

How Lessons From Bees, Leaves and Our Own Blood May Help Us Save Civilization

A new book argues that humanity can stave off catastrophe by observing how natural systems have evolved simple strategies to assure their survival.

by |December 1, 2020
monkeys in an urban area

COVID-19 and Biodiversity Loss: How Destruction of the Environment Leads to Pandemics

To protect ourselves from future pandemics, we must rethink humanity’s relationship with nature.

by Arooba Ahmed |November 24, 2020

Coming Soon? A Brief Guide to 21st-Century Megadisasters

A Q&A with Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, author of a new book on potential future calamities, and how they may play off one another.

by |July 14, 2020
cars in nyc street and empty bus lane

Reopening Mostly Erases Effects of Pandemic Reductions in CO2 Emissions

Although emissions temporarily dipped due to coronavirus, the numbers are bouncing back quickly as economies reopen.

by Marco Tedesco |July 3, 2020

When COVID-19 Quarantines Ancestral Andean Rituals

Virtual Indigenous ceremonies reveal the strong bond between mountain communities and their Inca roots.

by |June 24, 2020
ice core replica with glacier in background

Glaciers May Record the Story of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Reductions in human emissions and changes in atmospheric composition during the coronavirus pandemic might be observed in future glacial ice cores.

by |June 18, 2020
map of coronavirus cases in latin america

The Impact of Coronavirus and the Oil Price War on Latin America

The region is highly vulnerable to these twin shocks.

by Mauricio Cárdenas |March 18, 2020
coronavirus and human cells

How to Prepare for a Coronavirus Outbreak in the U.S.

Irwin Redlener, a medical doctor and director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, explains how you can protect yourself and the people around you.

by |February 27, 2020