“But then [[Europe]] was hit by [[the Black Death]]. This plague was caused by a bacterium that was spread by fleas, but also from person to person through droplets and aerosols. It was incredibly deadly. As much as half of the continent was killed. **[[France]] was hit badly and its population shrunk from 16 million to around 10 million**. Having fewer people meant that France needed less food, energy and resources. **It abandoned farmlands and the forests returned. Forest cover almost doubled again over the course of the 14th and 15th centuries**. ([Location 1977](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B0C3X6X695&location=1977))” --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[carbon-sinks]], [[reforrestation]], [[deforrestation]], [[statistics]], [[climate-change]] **Source** -- [[260103133118 - B - Not the End of the World]]