Many if not most emergent diseases over recent history have been the result of increased density of animals and people. Factory farms in particular are a cesspool, ideal for the recombination of genetic material and its dissemination. Human population is several times the long-term carrying capacity of the Earth. My bet on how this state of planetary ecological overshoot will right itself is that disease will do the job. Increased sanitation and medicines are only useful for so long. Our lack of understanding of planetary ecological processes is evident as wild birds are blamed for bird flu's spread, even as they do what their species have done for millenia, and most of humanity is unaware of the unnaturalness and dangerousness of cramming livestock together to feed the masses.

Factory farms blamed for spread of bird flu

Factory farming and the international poultry trade are largely responsible for the spread of bird flu, and wild birds are being unfairly blamed for the disease, a new report says.