HEALTHCARE 39 malaria parasites and the mosquitoes that transmit them are highly sensitive to climate variability , which has been repeatedly linked to epidemics .
Other epidemic-prone diseases , like cholera , dengue , and bacterial meningitis , are likewise highly sensitive to climate variability . All of these diseases have a huge potential for social disruption and make huge logistical demands on response teams .
Will the international humanitarian community be able to cope with a growing number of such events ?
Climate also influences the emergence of new diseases . About 75 % of all new human diseases originate in domestic or wild animals .
Climate variables , including those that influence the availability of food and water , have a direct impact on wild animal populations , their concentrations , and their incursion into areas inhabited by humans .
Climate-related shifts in animal populations can allow an animal pathogen to jump the species barrier and infect humans , as in the case of Nipah virus in Malaysia , and Hanta virus in the US .
In this case , emergence of a severe new respiratory disease was linked to a long period of drought , followed by heavy rainfall , that affected populations of deer mice .
I am aware of speculation that climate change may influence the frequency of outbreaks of Ebola virus disease .
I must emphasize we have no evidence that this is the case . Wild animals , notably fruit bats and monkeys , are implicated in the start of most Ebola outbreaks .
But this is only a small part of the consequences that climate change has for human health .
Climate change is the defining issue of the 21st century . I seek your help in getting world leaders to push this issue to centre stage . The drive for sustainable development must go hand-in-hand with the drive to address climate change .
I wish you a most productive meeting . Thank you .