Guides d’activités pédagogiques

The monarch is a magnificent black and orange butterfly; actually, it is one of the biggest diurnal butterflies in Canada. You may have seen one before since they fly around houses collecting nectar from flowers. However, if you were born 20 years earlier, you would have seen many more. In 2003, the monarch was already considered an at-risk species, but with a population decline of 90%, it has been an endangered species sin 2016. The climate changes, the use of pesticides and the destruction of its natural habitat lead to its demise.

As part of a series of SCOOP! on COVID-19, today we address what history can teach us about ways to cope with a pandemic. COVID-19 has been quite active for a few months and leaves its mark all around the globe. Much like the Black Death (a type of plague), the Spanish flu, SARS, the avian flu, or even Ebola, COVID-19 will also make history in its own way. Unfortunately, these diseases are responsible for millions of deaths. They also allow society to make tremendous technological progress, medical advances, and foster human growth. Have we learned from the previous epidemics? Which lessons will we draw from this very exceptional situation which is undergoing at the moment?

For many years, environmentalists, scientists, farmers, and other groups have been sounding the alarm. The exchange of germs is becoming more frequent than it was before. They note that every 14 to 16 months, a new infection appears. The conditions for these infections to develop, transmit, and remain active are more and more favourable.