Degradation and disease: Ecologically unequal exchanges cultivate emerging pandemics

An estimated 75 percent of new infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin, directly resulting from human and animal interactions (CDC, 2017). New diseases like COVID-19 most often originate from biodiversity hotspots such as tropical rainforests, and forest loss represents one of the most significant forms of envi-ronmental degradation facilitating new human and animal interactions. A political-economy approach illuminates how trade inequalities lead to the exploitation of the environment and people in poor nations, creating conditions under which pandemics like COVID-19 appear. Cross-national patterns in deforestation and forest use illuminate how consumers in the Global North are keenly tied to the emergence of zoonotic diseases. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This passage highlights that 75% of new infectious diseases stem from human and animal interactions, with new diseases like COVID-19 often originating from biodiversity hotspots and forest loss intensifying human-animal contact. A political-economy approach reveals how trade inequalities result in environmental and human exploitation in poor nations, creating conditions for pandemics like COVID-19 to arise, and cross-national patterns in deforestation and forest use demonstrate how consumers in the Global North are closely linked to the emergence of zoonotic diseases.