Carbon and climate change - again!
The UK’s Climate Change Committee has recently produced its latest report, entitled “A Well Adapted UK”; the report is available here: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/a-well-adapted-uk/ The Climate Change Committee (CCC) was founded under the 2008 Climate Change Act to provide independent, evidence based advice to the government of the day on reducing emissions and adaptation to climate change. The new report, which runs to some 554 pages covers is the fourth produced by the CCC, which has a statutory obligation to report every five years.
The report is wide ranging and its message of “little evidence of change to date” will be of concern; but it is the message for agriculture which will be of greatest interest to VetSalus followers, as the country is warned of a pending rise of 2C (compared to pre-industrial levels) by 2050.
The report sets as one of its key priorities, the sustainable production of 60% of food consumed in the country. As it warns of the potential of climate change to impact the security of food supply, with food price inflation being noted as a particular threat, the CCC set “keeping farming viable” as a key government outcome.
The need for farming to adapt to a changing climate, in a country where increased droughts and flooding seem inevitable, is emphasised. Reduced yields, the need for increased water storage and changes to farming systems will be required and government support for this transition will be necessary. At the same time, modern farming is dependent on fossil fuels, particularly for supplies of diesel, fertiliser and agrichemicals. The current political situation in the Middle East has further emphasised this vulnerability. The solutions to this climate induced conundrum are many: increased use of new rotations, better utilisation of pasture for animal feed, less dependency on bought in inputs and healthier soils will form part of the solution . The need for independent, evidence based advice on animal health and welfare, which is core business for VetSalus, has never been higher.
To end this section on a slightly more positive note it is good to learn of a potential new source for carbon sequestration. Modelling to predict future levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are not new but their complexity and accuracy is steadily increasing. New Scientist recently reported on one potential source of carbon sequestration that has been largely overlooked: the microbiome of tree bark. Work at the University of Melbourne, Australia estimated that one square metre of tree bark can contain 6 trillion bacteria and that the surface area of tree bark on the planet is around 143 million square kilometres, nearly as much as the land surface area. Trees and other plants lay down woody material annually, which is a major source of carbon sequestration: the recent work reports that several new species of bacteria found in bark can utilise hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide as energy sources. While hydrogen is not a greenhouse gas per se, it does impact on the lifetime of methane in the atmosphere. The work to date has only sampled Australian trees and the global impact is as yet unknown. The research may well lead to the modification of models in future but carbon dioxide levels continue to rise each year in spite of whatever impact this new bark sequestration may be having .
Antifungal resistance is growing
Fungal infections of humans and animals have never been high profile; athlete’s foot and ringworm just don’t seem to attract the same exciting headlines as exotic viruses. But fungal infections, particularly where individuals are immunocompromised, are serious with one source estimating that worldwide, 2.5 million people could die of them annually. Whatever their media profile, fungi are an important part of the One Health brief with important environmental roles as well as potential human and animal pathogens.
So it is concerning to read in a recent Nature article that resistance to common antifungal medicines is increasing. Aspergillis fumigatus is the most important human pathogen and concerns are growing about the rising level of resistance to commonly used antifungals,including the azole group of medicines. Recent research has categorically proven that widespread use of fungicides in agriculture is contributing to this steady rise in resistance 1.
Fungicides play an important role in modern arable farming and their use is widespread. While “fungicide free farming” is a fine ideal, it will require a major agricultural revolution to see this achieved but from a One Health perspective, there can be little doubt that fungides and antifungal medicines should enjoy a higher profile and larger research budgets.
Ebola
The exotic virus of the moment is of course Ebola virus with a serious outbreak of this highly infectious and pathogenic virus occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The current outbreak involves the rarer Bundibugyo virus species, for which no vaccine has yet been developed. The virus spreads by close contact with bodily fluids but can also be transmitted by needles and equipment; contact after death is another important epidemiological factor.
Efforts to control the spread of the disease are being curtailed by lack of funding for research and medicines, with the US Government’s withdrawal of UN funding for overseas aid being a serious concern. As efforts to control the epidemic continue, it is sometimes easy to forget that Ebola is another example of a zoonotic disease. All the evidence suggests that contact with fruit bats gave rise to the early cases of Ebola but primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas are also known to harbour the infection . The epidemiology of Ebola is based on close contact and it is thus unlikely to spread on a large scale internationally but the constant requirement for vigilance and education on zoonotic transfer remains .
Pastoralism
VetSalus has a friendly relationship with the folk at the Sustainable Food Trust (SFT); we have many goals in common. The SFT was founded in 2011 and works to accelerate the transition to more sustainable farming systems. You can find out more about their work on the website: https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/
A recent article by Olivia Boothman, who is a veterinarian and projects manager at the Trust, highlights the interesting issue of pastoralism. The term is applied to a wide range of farming systems, many of which may have relevance to potential future changes in more intensive, ‘modern’ agricultural systems. You can read the article, which includes a comment from VetSalus here: https://sustainablefoodtrust.org/news-views/slow-journeys-across-the-world-how-pastoralism-can-help-us-recover-our-relationship-with-the-land/
VetSalus and Vet Sustain
These two organisations have long enjoyed a synergistic relationship and it is possible that this has led to some confusion as to their respective roles? VetSalus was formed in 2018 as a limited company which has increased involvement of veterinarians in all aspects of One Health, particularly those linked to food production from animals, as its core business. It has an international perspective and provides leadership and education to enhance veterinary awareness and involvement and actively seeks out opportunities for its growing group of specialised consultants. You can find out more about the work of VetSalus here: https://vetsalus.com/
Vet Sustain was founded as a not for profit group, based in the UK, in 2019 and is firmly focused on leading the veterinary profession to an increased role in sustainability. The vision of VetSustain is for the veterinary profession to be enabled as ‘leading forces for sustainability’. You can find out more about their work here: https://vetsustain.org/about
The two groups have shared resources and cooperate on education and climate calculator projects but they remain distinct entities with differing areas of emphasis.
This newsletter has used A.I. resources to search for references but these were reviewed before use and the articles have been written and edited by a human brain.
If you are interested in the work of VetSalus, you will find a wider range of articles and educational material on our web site: www.vetsalus.com