Climate change

Study: Climate Change Reportedly Fueling 10% Rise in Antibiotic Resistance

Will resistance continue until climate policies are enacted or is the real root cause factory farming?

Published MAY 27

Study: Climate Change Reportedly Fueling 10% Rise in Antibiotic Resistance

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Above: A scientist conducts a Salmonella study in Munich, Germany, on April 29. Image credit: Leonie Asendorpf/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Climate change is actively making antibiotic resistance worse. This isn't a distant threat, either, as 82% of countries studied already show increases, with the entire global south and Middle East being hardest hit. Meeting Paris Agreement targets, alongside stronger antibiotic stewardship, could cut salmonella resistance genes by 24%, while continuing to ignore climate change as a factor will leave a major mitigation lever unpulled.

The Lancet Guardian

Climate-skeptic narrative

Factory farming is the real engine driving antibiotic resistance. 70% of all antibiotics worldwide are consumed by livestock operations, creating the perfect conditions for drug-resistant superbugs. Radical emissions-cutting policies drive up agricultural costs and leave more people hungry, making populations more vulnerable to disease in the first place. Reducing excessive meat demand and reforming industrial agriculture is the answer, not forcing expensive, unhelpful climate mandates.