Impact of climate change on vector-borne disease in the Amazon

Impending changes in climate regimes coupled with anthropogenic changes in land use and land cover change pose the most pressing challenges to human societies and natural ecosystems. Global climate change is predicted to disrupt seasonal periodicities and long-term trends in rainfall and temperature, altering natural climate cycles and variation. The impact of environmental change on disease transmission will determine who, when, and where human livelihoods flourish and fail. Vulnerable populations will be particularly affected-i.e., chronically disadvantaged populations who are typically poor, have limited economic opportunities and access to services, and few (if any) options to improve their quality of life. Immediate action is needed to better understand, adapt, and respond to disease burdens that will be affected by changing climate.

Duke Scholars

Author William Kuang-Yao Pan Environmental Sciences and Policy