In discussing the dangers, I aim to spread information and not fear. The claims posted here are scientific in nature, however, they are open to dispute by anyone willing to discuss the issues. The reality behind global warming and the issues of environmental destruction plaguing our world needs to be approached with sound philosophy and conversation. This blog attempts to do just that, utilizing this small avenue as a starting point to a broader dialogue.
In 1994, an outbreak of Hantavirus began. It started with a man in New Mexico who was rushed to the hospital with trouble breathing. He died of acute respiratory failure a few hours later. The oddness of the situation was compounded by the fact that the man had been on the way to his fiancé’s funeral. She had died of similar symptoms a few days earlier. As medical experts looked into the problem, they discovered that the disease had spread in the Southwest.
By February 2006, 416 cases of Hantavirus had been found in a number of states as distant as Florida and New York. People contract the disease by breathing in the virus that has gotten into the air through rodent droppings and urine. Scientists researched the disease and now suspect a link between the spread of Hantavirus and climate change. The spread of this disease was possibly pushed along through the added changes to the environment.
The link between climate change and the Hantavirus outbreak came after six years of drought and a sudden season of heavy spring rains in 1993. The 1993 rains produced a burst of plant growth, as would be expected. This led to a tenfold production of deer mice, the spreaders of the virus. The deer mice were produced by an extreme change in the climate, which is a commonality of global warming. With such rapid temperature and climate changes, the opportunity for similar situations and similar outcroppings of sudden ecosystems becomes greater.
So what can be done about it and how does driving a Scion relate to preventing the spread of the Hantavirus? Let’s be honest here: it doesn’t. But driving a Scion and stopping by a Scion dealer to learn more about climate-friendly cars does impact the environment in changing the driver’s attitude about it. And changing the outlook is half the battle.
