Climate change drives spread of diseases and invasive species

Climate change is altering the distribution of infectious diseases and invasive species globally. Rising temperatures, droughts, and floods are expanding the habitats and active periods for disease vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes. In the United States, these shifts may facilitate the spread of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease and contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The World Health Organization has noted that ticks carrying Lyme disease and encephalitis are appearing at higher altitudes and latitudes in Europe.

Simultaneously, rising sea levels are creating new environments for invasive marine species. A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, involving researchers from Beijing Normal University, analyzed 122 invasive species, including fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. The research suggests that newly flooded coastal areas could become habitats for non-indigenous organisms like the blue crab and certain starfish, potentially threatening ecosystems and human activities in regions previously unaffected by these species.