How to Stop the Next Pandemic? Stop Deforestation | Neil Vora | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

I have a tendency to overshare when I first meet people.

我和人初次見面時 常常會分享過多資訊，

So in keeping with that habit,

所以，就順著我的習慣，

I wanted to share that I'm a medical oddity.

我想分享：我是個醫學怪咖。

I'm a doctor who specializes in saving forests.

我是醫生，專長是拯救森林。

My journey has been unusual.

我的旅程很不尋常。

And through it, I've learned how vital tropical forests are for our health.

在這段旅程中我學到熱帶森林 對我們的健康有多重要。

As soon as I finished my internal medicine training,

我一完成我的內科醫生培訓之後，

I traded in my scrubs for a hazmat suit.

我就把我的醫生袍換成了防護衣。

I joined the Epidemic Intelligence Service

我加入了流行病情報服務，

at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

這個專案隸屬於 疾病控制與預防中心，

and for nine years,

我投入了九年，

I was a disease detective.

我那時是個疾病偵探，

I chased outbreaks around the world.

追查世界各地的疾病爆發。

I trekked through the jungle to research a bat hunting festival.

我徒步跋涉穿越叢林， 去研究蝙蝠狩獵節。

我甚至在飛機上幫浣熊打疫苗。

I even vaccinated raccoons from an airplane.

On most days, it was my dream job.

大部分的時候， 這是我夢寐以求的工作。

But there were others when what I saw was a nightmare.

但也有些時候，我看到的是惡夢。

Like when I went to West and Central Africa

比如我去西非和中非協助對抗 史上最大的兩場伊波拉疫情。

to help fight the two biggest Ebola epidemics ever.

I came back from both of those deployments

我從那兩次部署回來時， 都有同樣的感受：

with the same feeling.

That our reactive approach to public health is inherently flawed.

我們對於公共健康的因應方式 從本質上就有瑕疵。

我們的焦點放在為疾病爆發做準備，

We focus on preparing for outbreaks

so that we can respond quickly,

讓我們能快速做出因應，

but it's rarely that easy.

但通常都不會那麼簡單。

Maybe a virus, like the one that causes COVID,

也許是有種病毒，

就像造成新冠肺炎的病毒，

spreads between people before they know they're sick.

在人之間傳播時，大家 都還不知道自己生病了。

Maybe people choose to not take a safe and effective vaccine.

也許是大家選擇不要接種 安全且有效的疫苗。

And before we know it,

不知不覺，

the outbreak grows into an epidemic or even pandemic.

疾病爆發就演變成了 流行，甚至大流行。

In other words, we act as if outbreaks are inevitable.

換言之，我們的做法就彷彿 疾病爆發是無法避免的。

If you ask me, this is medical negligence.

如果問我，我會說這是醫療過失。

Preparing and responding are critical, no doubt,

準備和因應都至關重要，毫無疑問，

but alone, they're not enough.

但光這樣還不夠。

This begs the question:

這就帶出一個問題：

What if we could also prevent outbreaks before they even begin?

如果我們能在疾病爆發之前 就預防它，如何？

Well, there's good news.

有個好消息：

We can.

我們可以做到。

And how we do so may surprise you.

至於要怎麼做到， 可能會讓你很驚訝。

Some researchers believe the West African Ebola epidemic

有些研究人員認為， 西非的伊波拉疫情

began with an axe.

始於一把斧頭。

Communities in rural Guinea, for their survival,

為了生存，幾內亞鄉村地區的社區

had no choice but to clear forests for farms.

沒有選擇，只能砍伐森林建造農田。

Then, in 2013,

接著，2013 年，

an 18-month-old boy died of Ebola.

一名十八個月大的男孩 死於伊波拉病毒。

He is believed to have caught the virus from bats

他感染到的病毒被認為來自蝙蝠，

that lived in a hollow tree where he played.

他玩耍的地方有棵 中空的樹，裡面住著蝙蝠。

Put another way,

換句話說，病毒很可能 從蝙蝠外溢到這個男孩身上，

the virus likely spilled over from bats into this boy,

making him patient zero.

讓他成為零號病人。

From there, Ebola spread,

伊波拉從那裡開始傳播，

killing more than 11,000 people in West Africa.

在西非造成超過一萬一千人死亡。

Ebola's animal origins, however, aren't unique.

但並非只有伊波拉是源自動物。

All five viral pandemics from 1918 through 2009

從 1918 年到 2009 年的 五次病毒大流行全都

can be traced to animals,

可以追溯到動物， 新冠肺炎可能也是。

and the same is likely true for COVID.

Perhaps most concerningly,

也許，最讓人擔憂的是，

the estimated number of undiscovered viruses circulating in animals

據估計，在動物間流傳的病毒中，

有可能外溢但尚未被發現的 就有超過六十萬種。

that could potentially spill over is over 600,000.

Spillover is also becoming more common

外溢越來越普遍的原因之一 是我們人類的所做所為：

because of what we humans are doing:

wildlife trade,

野生動物貿易、

industrial-scale animal farms

工業規模的動物農場，

and, my focus today,

以及我今天的焦點，

clearing of tropical forests.

熱帶森林砍伐。

Changes in the way land is used,

改變土地的用途，

particularly deforestation,

特別是森林砍伐，

may be the single biggest driver of new animal-borne diseases.

可能是新型動物傳播疾病 背後的最大推手。

There are three key ways that deforestation leads to disease.

森林砍伐造成疾病的 主要方式有三種：

First, the animals that survived deforestation,

第一種：經過森林砍伐 倖存下來的動物，

such as some types of bats,

比如某幾種蝙蝠，

tend to be ones that can live alongside people.

通常是能和人一起生活的動物。

For whatever the reason,

不論原因為何，

these animals often carry germs that can infect us.

這類動物通常都會帶有 能感染人類的病菌。

Second, when people move into deforested areas,

第二種：當人類遷入 經過森林砍伐的區域，

they come into closer contact with wildlife,

通常會和野生動物有更近的接觸，

creating opportunities to pass germs back and forth.

創造將病菌來回傳播的機會。

Finally, animals are more likely to spread disease

最後一種：

動物失去家園而感到緊張時， 更有可能會散播疾病。

when they're stressed from losing their homes.

To make matters worse,

更糟糕的是，

the threat of infectious disease is only growing as our planet warms.

隨著地球暖化， 傳染病的威脅只會增加。

Over half of known infectious diseases in humans

已知的人類傳染病中，有超過一半

have been aggravated by climate change at some point.

都在某個時點因為氣候變遷而惡化。

The World Health Organization even considers climate change

世界衛生組織甚至認為氣候變遷

the greatest threat to human health we face today.

是現今對人類健康最大的威脅。

Now, I know what some of you are thinking.

我知道在座有些人在想，

Would anybody really miss these guys?

有人會想念這些傢伙嗎？

If we killed the bats, wouldn't that solve our problem?

若把蝙蝠殺光，問題不就解決了嗎？

Of course not.

當然不是這樣。

And I'm not just saying that

我這麼說並不是因為蝙蝠是 我第二喜愛的動物，僅次於蛇。

because bats are my second favorite group of animals after snakes.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

If anything, we'd just get exposed to more viruses when killing them.

如果牠們身上有病毒的話，殺死 牠們只會讓我們接觸更多病毒。

We also depend upon bats for pollination and insect control.

在授粉和昆蟲控制方面 我們也需要蝙蝠。

But there is something we can do right now that would have an immediate impact

但有件事是我們現在就可以做的，

馬上就能對健康和氣候產生影響。

on health and climate.

此外，做這件事的成本遠低於 對抗下一次疾病大流行。

What's more, it'll cost way less than fighting the next pandemic.

So what is this solution?

這個解決方案是什麼？

Protecting tropical forests.

保護熱帶森林。

People don't clear-cut forests because it's fun work.

人去砍伐森林並非因為 那是件有趣的工作。

Corporations may do it to make money in global markets.

企業可能會為了在全球市場中 賺錢而去砍伐森林。

Rainforest communities,

雨林中的社區

many of which are very poor, may do it too, just to survive.

大部分都很貧窮，可能會 為了生存去砍伐森林。

Understanding these dynamics gives us a road map to reverse it.

了解這些動態，能讓我們 擬訂策略來扭轉局勢。

In the early 2000s, for example,

比如，在 2000 年代初，

巴西政府官員

Brazilian government officials monitored forest loss with satellites

用衛星來監視森林損失， 並打擊非法砍伐。

and cracked down on illegal deforestation.

They returned territory to Indigenous peoples

他們將領土歸還給原住民，

who have successfully managed the Amazon for thousands of years.

數千年來，這些原住民 都將亞馬遜管理得很好。

Under public pressure,

在公眾壓力下，

businesses stopped selling beef and soy

企業停止販售來自近期 被砍伐之土地的牛肉和大豆。

from recently deforested lands.

These efforts paid off.

這些努力是有回報的。

From 2004 to 2012,

從 2004 年到 2012 年，

deforestation in the Amazon plummeted by over 80 percent.

亞馬遜的森林砍伐減少了至少八成。

Even better, agricultural output increased,

更棒的是，農業輸出增加了，

dispelling the myth that there's a trade-off between forests and food.

打破了必須要在森林和食物 之間做權衡的謎思。

But here's the tricky thing about deforestation.

但關於森林砍伐，有個棘手的問題。

It's hyper local.

它超本地化。

There's no one-size-fits-all solution.

沒有放之四海而皆準的解決方案。

That means, above all else, we need to listen.

那就表示，最重要的是： 我們必須要傾聽。

That may sound a little fluffy, but bear with me.

聽起來可能有點空洞， 但忍耐一下等我說明。

In Indonesian Borneo,

在印尼婆羅洲，

a nonprofit called Health and Harmony conducted what it calls radical listening

非營利組織「健康與和諧」 進行了它所謂的激進傾聽，

to arrive at community-designed solutions to deforestation.

以期創造出由社區設計的 森林砍伐解決方案。

Communities concluded that deforestation could be reversed

社區的結論是，森林砍伐是可逆的，

if they had quality health care and better jobs.

只要他們能擁有高品質的 健康照護和更好的工作。

So the nonprofit, along with local partners, built a clinic.

於是，該非營利組織與當地 合作夥伴建造了一間診所。

They trained community members to farm organically.

他們訓練社區成員進行有機耕種。

They invested in youth education.

他們投資青年教育。

Lo and behold, the communities were right.

看哪，社區是對的。

Over the next decade,

在接下來的十年，

deforestation dropped.

森林砍伐減少了。

Meanwhile, health improved.

同時，健康改善了。

Infant mortality decreased by two thirds.

嬰兒死亡率減少了三分之二。

What we see here is that people and planet don't need to be in conflict.

我們在這裡看到的是人類 和地球並不一定會有衝突。

We have solutions to address deforestation.

我們有解決方案可以處理森林砍伐。

And if we implement them wisely,

若能明智地實施這些方案，

就能預防疾病爆發並減緩氣候變遷。

we can prevent outbreaks and slow climate change.

Preventing outbreaks by saving nature will also help ensure

透過拯救大自然來預防 疾病爆發，也能協助確保

that income doesn't dictate outcome.

收入不會決定結果。

The tools we use to respond to outbreaks --

我們用來因應疾病爆發的工具——

medicines, vaccines,

藥物、

疫苗，

even information --

甚至資訊——

分佈並不平等。

are inequitably distributed.

In contrast, prevention benefits everyone equally.

相對的，預防帶給 大家的益處是平等的。

So how can we accelerate uptake of preventative solutions to outbreaks?

那麼我們要如何加速運用 預防疾病爆發的解決方案？

By building bridges between the health, climate and conservation sectors.

在健康、氣候，和保育 部門之間建立橋樑。

Pandemics, climate change and environmental destruction

疾病大流行、氣候變遷，

及環境破壞會彼此助長。

feed off each other.

But like the health sector,

但，和健康部門一樣，

the climate sector hasn't fully recognized the value of nature.

氣候部門尚未完全認識 大自然的價值。

比如，以自然為中心的計畫

Nature-focused projects, for example,

can get us over 30 percent of the emissions reductions

能夠減少的排放量，超過達成 氣候目標所需要做到的三成，

needed to reach our climate goals,

but only receive about five percent of climate funding.

得到的資金卻只有約百分之五。

In my own work,

在我自己的研究中，

I was also conditioned to overlook nature.

我也被制約了，反射性地忽視自然。

For years, I was made to feel guilty

多年來，

別人總讓我覺得我應該要為 關心人類以外的物種感到罪惡。

for caring about species other than humans.

Like it was a betrayal of the oath I took when I became a doctor.

好像我背叛了我成為 醫生時的誓言似的。

Right after I finished my training,

我完成我的培訓之後，

I met a world-renowned physician and scientist

我見到我仰慕多年的 世界知名醫生及科學家。

who I looked up to for years.

I was excited to ask him for his thoughts

我很興奮地問他認為 要如何改善人類福祉

on how to improve human well-being while safeguarding the planet.

同時守護地球。

He looked at me and slowly said,

他看著我，緩慢地說：

"I don't care about polar bears."

「我不在乎北極熊。」

At first I was shocked.

一開始，我很震驚。

And then I felt embarrassed.

接著，我感到很尷尬。

But from what I've seen from fighting outbreaks for over a decade,

但，根據過去十多年 在對抗疾病爆發時所看見的，

I'm finally comfortable admitting

我終於能很自在地承認，

that I do care about polar bears.

我確實在乎北極熊。

And bats.

還有蝙蝠。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And bats

還有蝙蝠，

and forests

還有森林，

and people.

還有人。

We all need to.

我們都需要在乎。

Because there is no human health or animal health or environmental health.

因為沒有區分什麼人類健康、 動物健康，或環境健康。

They're one and the same.

它們是一體的，一樣的。

In West Africa,

在西非，

it may have taken just one infected animal

可能只要有一隻動物受到感染，

to spark an Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.

就能引發一波伊波拉流行， 造成至少一萬一千人死亡。

But it will take everyone to sustain the delicate ecological balance

但若要維持我們仰賴的 微妙生態平衡，

that we all depend upon.

會需要所有人。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）