The Next Pandemic: ‘The Last of Us’ is right. Our warming planet is a petri dish.

When Dr. Neil Vora watched the television show “The Last of Us,” he thought that its zombielike creatures were improbable but the show got one thing right: Climate change is increasing the risks for outbreaks. Dr. Vora has seen many epidemics up close; he investigated them with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while he thinks the next pandemic will most likely be viral, he argues in this essay that the changes seen in the natural world, including changes to fungi, are alarming. The World Health Organization agrees. Scientists worry about the long-term impact a warming planet will have on disease, including novel ones. We shouldn’t wait to find out. — Alexandra Sifferlin By Neil Vora “The Last of Us,” a postapocalyptic television thriller, recently concluded its first season with a stunning finale. However, as a physician and horror superfan, I found the show’s beginning more striking: A 1960s talk-show host asks two epidemiologists what keeps them up at night. “Fungu

When Dr. Neil Vora watched the television show “The Last of Us,” he thought that its zombielike creatures were improbable but the show got one thing right: Climate change is increasing the risks for outbreaks. Dr. Vora has seen many epidemics up close; he investigated them with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while he thinks the next pandemic will most likely be viral, he argues in this essay that the changes seen in the natural world, including changes to fungi, are alarming. The World Health Organization agrees. Scientists worry about the long-term impact a warming planet