Today we live longer and more prosperous lives than ever before, as a species we have made huge advances to create conditions for better health for billions of people, however this progress is taking a heavy toll on the planet’s natural systems. I will explore the links and interdependencies between our health and the health of our planet with particular reference to understanding how rapid global environmental change impacts the emergence and spread of high impact infectious diseases like Ebola or Covid. I will discuss how recent advances in the resolution and coverage of remote-sensing satellite data and cutting-edge machine-learning algorithms open up the possibilities of developing global early warning systems to prevent and manage future epidemics.