The State Fair gates are open – but there’s a noticeable absence in the Miracle of Birth Center: birthing cows and newborn calves. 

It’s all due to the spread of avian flu, also known as bird flu or H5N1. So how serious is the spread of avian flu, and what does climate change have to do with the spread of viruses between species? 

Izzy Ross is a climate solutions reporter for Interlochen Public Radio and wrote about the threat of bird flu spreading to dairy cows for Grist. Ross stopped by Climate Cast to talk about the link between bird flu and climate change.