Doctor: Preventing the worst effects of climate change, the next pandemic go hand in hand

A person wearing a personal protective equipment at a drive thru site
Elizabeth Santoro, a medic with the Minnesota Air National Guard 133rd Medical Group, administers a free COVID-19 test to Thomas Harmon, 61, of Robbinsdale at the Minneapolis Armory on May 23, 2020, in Minneapolis.
Aaron Lavinsky | AP Photo file

In recent months, some doctors have argued that preventing the worst effects of climate change and the next pandemic go hand in hand.

Some say a loss of biodiversity, fueled by climate change, makes it easier for viruses to spread from animals to humans. Many have point out that climate change has exacerbated health inequities in the communities hardest by COVID-19.

Dr. Aaron Bernstein, a pediatrician at Boston's Children's Hospital and director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health, talked about this on Climate Cast.

You can hear the full conversation by clicking play on the audio player above.

Watch a town hall with Dr. Bernstein produced by WBUR in Boston.

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