A common question I'm getting these days is, what does #COVID19 or #coronavirus have to do with climate change? The short answer is, very little; but the long answer is, everything is related. This thread explains ...
Climate change is expected to increase the geographic range of infectious diseases with scary names like zika or chikingunya carried by “vectors” - ticks, mosquitoes, and other animals - whose geographic range is limited, and expands in a warming climate. health2016.globalchange.gov/vectorborne-di…
In some cases, as we found in this study on dengue led by @raericksonWI, the range of the disease will shift rather than expand, with more northern areas becoming more vulnerable while southern areas become too hot so less vulnerable. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.108…
But coronavirus is currently being spread by humans, not animals, and we already live … well, everywhere humans live. So climate change is not significantly affecting the spread of the disease. That one’s on us. It goes where we go. A summary of mapping: ij-healthgeographics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11…
However, there have been a few studies that have looked at how climate change may affect influenza in general and they indicate climate change impacts do exist, though they are complicated and diverse. For example:
As climate changes, we get more warmer winters. Flu seasons are milder in warmer winters. But a milder season makes people more vulnerable and less inclined to get the vaccine - so the FOLLOWING season may start earlier and be much more virulent.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/…
sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/…
In the mid-lats, flu's seasonal. But as the planet warms, the flu season could end up being year-round, as it already is in the tropics (worst flu I ever had was in a tropical summer!). And this wd give it more time to mutate into more dangerous strains. nexusmedianews.com/climate-change…
Then there's the fact that a warmer climate may decrease immune response which makes us more vulnerable to viruses like the flu. the-scientist.com/news-opinion/c…
To sum up the impacts: climate change is, as the US military calls it, a THREAT MULTIPLIER. It takes what we already care about - and what more than our health? - and makes many, not all but many, of them worse. Some, just a tiny bit. Others, much worse. That's why it matters.
But then there's the other side of the coin - what will this terrible pandemic do to our emissions? It is already slashing fossil fuel use and corresponding carbon and air pollution emissions in China, Italy and beyond. reuters.com/article/us-hea…
Air pollution is responsible for nearly 9 million deaths per year - and much of that comes from fossil fuels. (Not all: a lot is also from indoor cooking over open fires.) usnews.com/news/national-…
I think it's too early to say whether we will see a net long-term decrease in carbon emissions from this alone. Industrial production is likely to ramp back up after the crisis passes. But I DO hope that it will show us there is a different way to live.
Because when it all comes down to it, most of us all want the same thing no matter what side of the political aisle we're on: a safe place to live; food, resources + employment; and most of all, our health & that of our friends + family, our community, our country and our world. 
PS. The thread isn't be complete without finishing my thought on the air pollution avoided by our current crisis. Consider this, my friends. Just because air pollution has been with us for centuries doesn't mean it's acceptable. It's not. It's a killer. forbes.com/sites/jeffmcma…
Update: a new study suggests that coronavirus spreads particularly well in the temperature and humidity conditions characteristic of mid-latitudes. bostonherald.com/2020/03/16/new…
