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Review article2021Peer reviewedOpen access

Healthy ecosystems for human and animal health: Science diplomacy for responsible development in the Arctic

Evengård, B.; Destouni, G.; Kalantari, Z.; Albihn, A.; Björkman, Christer; Bylund, Helena; Jenkins, E.; Koch, A.; Kukarenko, N.; Leibovici, D.; Lemmityinen, J.; Menshakova, M.; Mulvad, G.; Nilsson, L.M.; Omazic, A.; Pshenichnaya, N.; Quegan, S.; Rautio, A.; Revich, B.; Rydén, P.;
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Abstract

Climate warming is occurring most rapidly in the Arctic, which is both a sentinel and a driver of further global change. Ecosystems and human societies are already affected by warming. Permafrost thaws and species are on the move, bringing pathogens and vectors to virgin areas. During a five-year project, the CLINF – a Nordic Center of Excellence, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, has worked with the One Health concept, integrating environmental data with human and animal disease data in predictive models and creating maps of dynamic processes affecting the spread of infectious diseases. It is shown that tularemia outbreaks can be predicted even at a regional level with a manageable level of uncertainty. To decrease uncertainty, rapid development of new and harmonised technologies and databases is needed from currently highly heterogeneous data sources. A major source of uncertainty for the future of contaminants and infectious diseases in the Arctic, however, is associated with which paths the majority of the globe chooses to follow in the future. Diplomacy is one of the most powerful tools Arctic nations have to influence these choices of other nations, supported by Arctic science and One Health approaches that recognise the interconnection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment at the local, regional, national and global levels as essential for achieving a sustainable development for both the Arctic and the globe.

Published in

Polar Record
2021, volume: 57, article number: e39

SLU Authors

Associated SLU-program

SLU Plant Protection Network

Global goals (SDG)

SDG3 Good health and well-being
SDG13 Climate action
SDG17 Partnerships for the goals

UKÄ Subject classification

Climate Science
Environmental Sciences

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247421000589

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/114010