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Review
. 2022 Jan:158:106915.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106915. Epub 2021 Oct 8.

Getting out of crises: Environmental, social-ecological and evolutionary research is needed to avoid future risks of pandemics

Delphine Destoumieux-Garzón  1 , Franziska Matthies-Wiesler  2 , Nicolas Bierne  3 , Aurélie Binot  4 , Jérôme Boissier  5 , Anaïs Devouge  6 , Jeanne Garric  7 , Kim Gruetzmacher  8 , Christoph Grunau  5 , Jean-François Guégan  9 , Sylvie Hurtrez-Boussès  10 , Anke Huss  11 , Serge Morand  12 , Clare Palmer  13 , Denis Sarigiannis  14 , Roel Vermeulen  11 , Robert Barouki  6
Affiliations
Review

Getting out of crises: Environmental, social-ecological and evolutionary research is needed to avoid future risks of pandemics

Delphine Destoumieux-Garzón et al. Environ Int. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

The implementation of One Health/EcoHealth/Planetary Health approaches has been identified as key (i) to address the strong interconnections between risk for pandemics, climate change and biodiversity loss and (ii) to develop and implement solutions to these interlinked crises. As a response to the multiple calls from scientists on that subject, we have here proposed seven long-term research questions regarding COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) that are based on effective integration of environmental, ecological, evolutionary, and social sciences to better anticipate and mitigate EIDs. Research needs cover the social ecology of infectious disease agents, their evolution, the determinants of susceptibility of humans and animals to infections, and the human and ecological factors accelerating infectious disease emergence. For comprehensive investigation, they include the development of nature-based solutions to interlinked global planetary crises, addressing ethical and philosophical questions regarding the relationship of humans to nature and regarding transformative changes to safeguard the environment and human health. In support of this research, we propose the implementation of innovative multidisciplinary facilities embedded in social ecosystems locally: ecological health observatories and living laboratories. This work was carried out in the frame of the European Community project HERA (www.HERAresearchEU.eu), which aims to set priorities for an environment, climate and health research agenda in the European Union by adopting a systemic approach in the face of global environmental change.

Keywords: Biodiversity loss; Climate change; Ecology; Emerging infectious disease; Evolution; Nature-based solutions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Delphine Destoumieux-Garzón on behalf of all the authors of the manuscript entitled “Getting out of crises: Environmental, social-ecological and evolutionary research is needed to avoid future risks of pandemics”.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mapping of long-term research areas in relation to future risks of pandemics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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