"Assessing the risk of diseases with pandemic potential in a changing world" (JRC / report)

Modelling the risks of outbreaks of the nine types of zoonotic epidemic (excluding Covid-19) listed by the WHO, in a world subject to the pressures of climate change: this is the aim of the study published by eight researchers, including three from the JRC, in the journal Science Advances on 24/07/2025.
Human activities and the pressure they exert on the climate and environment drive the outbreak of diseases in multiple and complex ways. The main drivers are linked to climate change and the impact of human activity on the Earth surface.
The study also confirms that population density remains a dominant factor in amplifying risk, surpassing the contributions of other individual factors. Finally, the findings highlight the large potential of environmental policies, like sustainable land use practices and conservation efforts, to reduce the pandemic risk.

The main drivers of pandemic risks

Published in Science Advances, the study Assessing the risk of diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential in a changing world  Published on 29/07/25 at 10:50
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