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Is human destruction of nature responsible for COVID-19?
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Destruction of the environment

By not taking care of the planet, we are not taking care of ourselves.
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The Argument

We are placing too many pressures on the natural world, and this will inevitably have consequences for our health Scientists have stated that the coronavirus outbreak is a "clear warning shot" regarding humanity's treatment of the environment.[1] As destruction of the environment continues, wildlife is driven out of its natural habitat into ever closer proximity to us. Because of this, there are far more opportunities for infections to spread from animals to people, and we are far more vulnerable. If we don't want more pandemics like COVID-19, we will have to address humanity's impact on the environment, especially the soaring habitat loss of animals.

Counter arguments

Premises

[P1] Humanity's impact on the environment means that wildlife is experiencing extreme habitat loss. [P2] Because of this, humans and wildlife live in closer proximity than ever. [P3] This leads to more devastating viruses spreading from animals to humans.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-nature-is-sending-us-a-message-says-un-environment-chief
This page was last edited on Wednesday, 25 Mar 2020 at 15:26 UTC

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