| Livestock Research for Rural Development 23 (9) 2011 | Notes to Authors | LRRD Newsletter | Citation of this paper |
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Climatic changes are occurring as a result of imbalances between incoming and outgoing radiation in the atmosphere. This process generates heat. As concentrations of atmospheric gases reach record levels, global temperatures are expected to increase by 1.8 to 5.8 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. The hydrologic cycle will be altered, since warmer air can retain more moisture than cooler air. This means that some geographic areas will have more rainfall, while others more drought and severe weather events.
If this holds true in the future, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns will have a substantial effect on the burden of infectious diseases that are transmitted by insect vectors and through contaminated waters. Three vector-borne diseases relevant to livestock production could be affected: mosquito-transmitted Rift valley fever, tsetse-transmitted trypanosomiasis, and tick-transmitted Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Water-borne infectious diseases strongly contribute to the emergence of botulism, campylobacteriosis, cholera, leptospirosis, salmonellosis and dysentery that not only affect animal health but also human health. Given that livestock contributes 40 percent of the global value of agricultural output and supports the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people, there is an urgent need for strengthened governance of environmental and livestock linkages.
Keywords: rising temperatures, changing rainfall, hosts, vectors, animal agriculture
Rapid multivariable changes are increasing the magnitudes, severities, dimensions, and frequencies of classical and novel animal diseases, some of which have human health implications, around the globe (Burgos and Otte 2009). Many factors contribute to the emergence and intensification of infectious diseases including economic, social and cultural, human and animal demographics, evolutionary, and environmental factors (Burgos-Cáceres and Otte 2009). The latter are of contemporary interest in view of the frequently cited facts by media regarding greenhouse gas emissions and global warming that are said to profoundly influence the key drivers of disease emergence in a rapidly changing world (Burgos 2010a).
Climatic changes are occurring as a result of imbalances between incoming and outgoing radiation in the atmosphere. This process generates heat. As concentrations of atmospheric gases reach record levels, global temperatures are expected to increase by 1.8 to 5.8 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. The hydrologic cycle will be altered, since warmer air can retain more moisture than cooler air. This means that some geographic areas will have more rainfall, while others more drought and severe weather events (Lafferty 2009; Shuman 2010).
Through a short literature review that covers research reports and scholarly articles, this paper examines the multiple linkages between climatic changes, infectious diseases, and livestock production. The paper begins by connecting temperature and rainfall with diseases, hosts, and vectors. This is followed by a brief discussion of disease impacts on livestock production and the roles sustainable agriculture has for developing countries. Conclusion offers an analysis.
It is widely believed that transboundary animal diseases will continue to emerge around the globe, with human-to-human spread potential, and multiple associated costs to societies and governments. These emerging threats can be addressed and reduced through the application of holistic and proactive disease risk management approaches that build on disease intelligence, multidisciplinary collaborations, public-private partnerships, international commitments, and scientific progress (Burgos and Otte 2010a). All of this is critical given that, as the world population reaches the seven billion mark and subpopulations in emerging market economies start to join the rank of middle-income households, livestock production systems will be pressed to supply the demand for meat that arises from adoption of the diverse and rich nutritional diets enjoyed in developed countries. Also, demands for grains to manufacture feedstuffs for animals in confinement will rise, and with it, the need for land and energy inputs (i.e. fuels, fertilizers). As a consequence of increased cropland requirements, encroachment into forests may continue eroding forestry resources and clearing plots of land that produce more polluting gases. This is added to the extra methane that intensive animal production systems will generate, which are set to worsen already alarming climatic changes (Burgos 2011). Indeed, if this holds true in the future, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns will have a substantial effect on the burden of infectious diseases that are transmitted by insect vectors and through contaminated waters. Three vector-borne diseases relevant to livestock production could be affected: mosquito-transmitted Rift valley fever, tsetse-transmitted trypanosomiasis, and tick-transmitted Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Water-borne infectious diseases strongly contribute to the emergence of botulism, campylobacteriosis, cholera, leptospirosis, salmonellosis and dysentery that not only affect animal health but also human health (Burgos and Otte 2010b; Burgos and Slingenbergh 2011). Leading scientists and researchers around the world have been trying to understand the global temporal and spatial patterns of animal diseases through an array of instruments ranging from the use of satellite images to pin down geographical origins, to cutting-edge molecular technologies to track the genetic makeup of these insidious pathogens. If there is a commonly shared outlook among experts it is that animal diseases infecting humans will continue to rise (Burgos and Otte 2010c). It is for this reason that disease emergence can no longer be seen in isolation but must now be viewed alongside a continuum of climatic changes, natural resource management, agricultural intensification, land utilization patterns, trade globalization, shifting farming, and food distributions (Burgos and Slingenbergh 2010).
Climatic changes and the emergence of novel diseases are realities. Many of the disruptions arise from industrialization since the 1800s, and these are exacerbated by the vibrant rise of few emerging market economies. For example China’s economic growth and developments of infrastructures are permitting more people to buy more cars, that burn more oil, which calls for the exploitation of more natural resources (Burgos and Ear 2010, 2011). While much of the gas and oil will come from Africa, it is also true that much of the impacts from rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are going to be concentrated in the impoverished tropics. Yet the sad truth is that Africa cannot afford another systemic blow (Burgos 2010b). Leaders around the globe need to be reminded that the precipitous descent of some of the world’s poorest countries into food insecurity, instability, and poverty raises the risks of potentially detrimental spillover effects (Burgos and Otte 2011). Lastly, given that livestock contributes forty percent of the global value of agricultural output and supports the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people, there is an urgent need for strengthened governance of environmental and livestock linkages (Burgos-Cáceres 2010).
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Received 8 July 2011; Accepted 17 July 2011; Published 1 September 2011