Orgy of alarmism

This Toronto article covers a lot of alarmist ground, claiming that trace amounts of CO2 may lead the local population into a hellish world of viruses, rodents, bacteria, mosquitoes, fungus, etc etc.

1. Toronto, like the rest of the world, is presumably warmer now than it was in 1850 or 1976. How much worse are the viruses, rodents, bacteria, mosquitoes, fungus, etc etc now than they were many decades ago in Toronto?

2. If you head south from Toronto, you'll generally find that it gets warmer and warmer. Just how catastrophic are the viruses, rodents, bacteria, mosquitoes, fungus, etc etc right now in places like Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or even Florida?

3. The article quotes Dr. David Fisman, a scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children's research institute in Toronto, this way:

"...we seem to be in a situation where the physical component of the ecosystem - that is weather and climate - is changing at a rate that is faster and faster and faster."

How does Fisman know that the current rate of climate change is any different than it was during the rest of the Earth's 4.5 billion year history? If he's got any data or logic to back this up, I'm willing to listen. However, if he's just asking us to take his word for this, aren't we dealing with a "Stephen Hawking Opposes Designated Hitter Rule"-type of situation?