Mass Extinction
An estimated four billion American chestnut trees along the East Coast of the U.S.A. were wiped out in a few decades by an invasive fungus. The deadly fungus introduced from Asia in the early 1900s rendered American chestnuts functionally extinct – and, to this day, there isn’t a cure. Tree saplings still sprout but they rarely mature. Now, with climate change accelerating, the threat is evolving.
Human-vulnerability isn’t far-fetched. Fungal pathogens like “Candida auris” have already shown how quickly a resilient fungus can spread in healthcare settings. [Source: “Candida auris: an Emerging Fungal Pathogen” in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology,” Jan, 24, 2018].
Climate change is a catalyst. That should be a wake-up call. If it enables a deadly fungus to thrive in human hosts – especially one with airborne transmission – the implications could by catastrophic. Ecological collapse and human health are not separate stories.
Mass Extinction
An estimated four billion American chestnut trees along the East Coast of the U.S.A. were wiped out in a few decades by an invasive fungus. The deadly fungus introduced from Asia in the early 1900s rendered American chestnuts functionally extinct – and, to this day, there isn’t a cure. Tree saplings still sprout but they rarely mature. Now, with climate change accelerating, the threat is evolving.
Human-vulnerability isn’t far-fetched. Fungal pathogens like “Candida auris” have already shown how quickly a resilient fungus can spread in healthcare settings. [Source: “Candida auris: an Emerging Fungal Pathogen” in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology,” Jan, 24, 2018].
Climate change is a catalyst. That should be a wake-up call. If it enables a deadly fungus to thrive in human hosts – especially one with airborne transmission – the implications could by catastrophic. Ecological collapse and human health are not separate stories.