How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature by John Vidal

Once you have read In The Company of Men by Véronique Tadjo, a great way to continue is by reading Fevered Planet, an in-depth look at what happens to human health when we destroy nature. Long considered separate issues, human health, wildlife health and the health of the environment are intrinsically linked. John Vidal explores outbreaks of zoonotic diseases that have had devastating impacts on humans and animals, and the increasing scientific consensus that our destruction of the environment and use of factory farms is the cause of these outbreaks. 

Our treatment of animals as commodities to be exploited for our use is not only an ethical and moral issue, but one that could decide the fate of humanity. If we continue to factory farm billions of animals a year in appalling conditions we are inevitably going to be the creators of a virus that may combine the deadliness of Ebola or Avian flu, with the viral nature of covid-19. 

An extremely well-researched book, it will leave readers motivated to do more to protect the environment and slightly scared. 

“The explosion in the number of animals being bred to feed ever expanding, wealthier human populations was changing the speed at which viruses and bacteria were evolving.” 

Title: Fevered Planet: How Diseases Emerge When We Harm Nature

Author; John Vidal

ISBN: 978-1526632272

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

John Vidal was born in West Africa and worked as a successful and dedicated environmental journalist throughout his life, including 30 years as the Environmental Editor at the Guardian. He passed away in 2023, the same year Fevered Planet was published. 

Abdourahamane Ly, guest curator for Veganuary at Global Literature in Libraries Initiative, has been vegan for the past seven years now. He is extremely passionate about animal rights and encouraging more humans, especially Africans, to go vegan. He was born in Guinea in West Africa but spent the last 13 years in China. He is currently in Rwanda spreading the vegan message. You can follow him on Instagram at @fulanivegan and X at @fulanivegan.