Planet: care

We Have an Inborn Affinity With Nature

Humans have an innate affinity with the natural world based on an instinct for survival that draws us to places of plenty and abundance.  It’s called Biophilia. The benefits of nature have been known for thousands of years. Advocates of nature as a ‘tonic for the mind and body’ range from Greek and Roman philosophers to ancient Indian and Chinese medical practitioners. Spending time interacting with the natural world can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and even speed up hospital patient recovery times.  Just as nature supports our well-being we too need to look after the wellbeing of our natural environment, not just for us but for future generations.

Global wellbeing, we are all in this together

With no respect for boundaries, borders or beliefs, COVID-19 spread rapidly across the globe. It has shown us how interconnected we actually are, whilst simultaneously forcing us to distance from one another, to close our borders and retreat into our own space. Life has changed dramatically. We are compelled to live differently, and perhaps, to reassess what and who is really important in our lives. It will pass, a relatively small blip in the history of a planet that is some four and half billion years old, but will life be the same? Do we want it to be the same?

What do we want for future generations?

The halt of movement and industry has given us a glimpse of a cleaner world, with reports of exceptional blue skies, views of the Himalayas not seen for 30 years and significant increases in air quality in some of the most polluted cities in the world. These gains are fragile, but perhaps they’re a glimpse of what our planet’s future could be like. As we emerge from the pandemic, there is an opportunity to build back better, to build what we want to see for our children and build what we dream of for the well-being of future generations.