Human activities have directly and indirectly fueled the spread of zoonotic diseases. Long-distance travel, for example, has transported not just people but diseases to new locations… Our decimation of the environment is another cause of the increase. Deforestation means humans can more easily venture into habitats where they might encounter animals that are acting as disease reservoirs, and the destruction of biodiverse areas for large-scale monoculture farms allows pathogens to spread more quickly. Deforestation in the Amazon basin, which brings human settlements to the edge of the rainforest, increases malaria transmission, with disease risk increasing by 3.3% for every 10% increase in forest clearing. And in sub-Saharan Africa, irrigation schemes, which create standing water, as well as dam construction, have also intensified the malaria threat.