I imagine when most people think of forests they summon a similar sense of everlastingness; the ability to endure a world in flux. In 2022, the world lost more than 11 soccer fields of tropical forest each minute. Microbes can bring diseases to humans, and for that reason the World Health Organization has applied a philosophy to them called One Health. Simply, it’s a belief that the fitness of humans, animals and the environment are one and the same; inextricably linked. Trees play a seminal role: Removing a forest can push forest-dwelling animals into human environs, sometimes bringing with them a pathogen.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 19, 2024 09:44 UTC