Global obsession with economic growth will increase risk of deadly pandemics in future

By Tom Pegram, Associate Professor in Global Governance and Deputy Director of UCL Global Governance Institute, UCL
Julia Kreienkamp, Researcher at the Global Governance Institute, UCL

As governments around the world roll out COVID-19 vaccine programmes and seek to kickstart their economies back to life, recovery seems to be within reach. However, hard questions must not be sidestepped. How did this pandemic happen? And how resilient are we to future global risks, including the possibility of deadlier pandemics?

Importantly, COVID-19 was not a “black swan” event – an event that cannot be reasonably anticipated. As Mike Ryan, executive director…

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