In Search for Hope: Human-Mosquito Relations as a Model for Global Environmental Cooperation (A Research Note)

Abstract

The current condition of our planet is alarming, as the Earth is experiencing both global warming and a mass extinction of species: two human induced phenomena devastating our environment. The reason for these crises is neither lack of knowledge about their source, nor the absence of the technical means to deal with them: what we lack is the capacity to act jointly, through global political mechanisms allowing a coordinated effort to change our behavior. While such mechanisms may be difficult to imagine, this research note suggests that a precedent for such a coordinated global environmental action may be found in the worldwide campaigns against mosquito borne diseases (MBD) which were carried out during the twentieth century. Pointing at some similarities and several dissimilarities between the combats against MBDs and a possible global effort which may be initiated nowadays, this research note calls for drawing lessons from the past dealing with MBDs for learning how to cope with our current global environmental challenges.