CLIMATE CHANGE AND COVID-19 IN THE KRUGER TO CANYONS BIOSPHERE REGION, SOUTH AFRICA AND AMAZONAS, BRAZIL

Abstract

Climate change is predicted to exert further stress on already exploited ecologies and healthcare systems, added to this, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) has signified a stimulus to revolutionize existing models of sustainable development in broad, and sustainable supply chains in the healthcare sector in particular. The Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region in South Africa and the  Amazonas state in Brazil serve as geographic case studies for this paper. The impact of economic globalization, natural catastrophes such as droughts, economic and geopolitical stresses, deforestation, economic and healthcare access inequalities in these two biomes converge with issues of climate change, and undercut coping mechanisms that are customarily used to oversee extreme events such as pandemics. The Covid-19 pandemic has deepened many of the economic and social difficulties which South Africa and Brazil are already facing. In comparison to Brazil, South Africa’s overall response to the pandemic can be regarded as a standout. By borrowing from best practices from prior public health responses to heath emergencies in South Africa, such as the tuberculosis and the HIV/AIDS crisis, South Africa has demonstrated its comparatively successful means of dealing with Covid-19.