By Catherine Rampell

The World Health Organization is expected to release a report on its investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus in the coming days. Among the many theories is the unproven belief that it was passed on from bats — leading to much public fear of the mammals. But the growing threat to bats could mean bad news for us too. Special correspondent Catherine Rampell reports.

Catherine Rampell:

Environmental economist Eyal Frank tries to measure what exactly we lose when we lose a species.

Eyal Frank:

How much is it worth for you to preserve polar bears or pandas or butterflies?

Catherine Rampell:

Why do we need to put a dollar value on a panda or a butterfly?

Eyal Frank:

If we don’t inform those policy discussions about what is the value of a species, we’re essentially implicitly assuming a value of zero.

Catherine Rampell:

The sudden loss of bats, though, can show how nature adds value. First, in the year or so following white-nose syndrome’s arrival in a county, farmers revenues plunge about 50 percent.

Eyal Frank:

Because they have fewer products to sell and or they just have lower-quality product, and they receive a lower price for it.

Catherine Rampell:

Insurance claims for insect damage shoot up 30-fold. Then, like organic farmers, conventional farmers seem to adjust pest control strategies, and expenses go up.

Eyal Frank:

There is a very big increase in insecticide use.

Catherine Rampell:

Which has downstream effects for human health.

Eyal Frank:

Because they are toxic by design. And I find that indeed infant mortality rates go up. And I can mostly attribute that to the births that are conceived during the pesticide application season between April and July.

Continue Reading at PBS NewsHour…

Areas of Focus: Environment
Definition
Environment
Producing and using energy damages people’s health and the environment. EPIC research is quantifying the social costs of energy choices and uncovering policies that help protect health while facilitating growth.
Conservation Economics
Definition
Conservation Economics
Human society profoundly shapes – and is shaped by – the natural world. EPIC research is helping to identify the costs and benefits of preserving natural ecosystems.