Everything is connected In the past forty years the study of ecology — the relationships between organisms and their environment — has blossomed into an active and well-respected field of biology. Ecology oriented biologists are no longer studying organisms in laboratories removed from their milieu. At last scientists are acknowledging that many traits of an organism, ranging from behavior to survivorship, are dependent upon setting, upon relationship, upon connectedness to other organisms in the web of life. The strands have become as interesting as the nodes, and as a result the scientific study of modeling these connections has also become a burgeoning field of study. Nature connectedness is the extent that an individual includes nature as part of their identity. It includes an understanding of nature and everything it is made up of, even the parts that are not pleasing. Characteristics of nature connectedness are similar to those of a personality trait: nature connectedness is stable over time and across various situations. Connectedness are required for a healthy relationship with nature. If an individual feels connected to nature (possibly by spending time in it), they may be more inclined to care about nature, and protect the environment. Recent research has found that nature exposure (and feeling connected to nature at a trait level) provides many benefits to humans such as well-being. Although nature relatedness is a stable individual trait, it can change based on one’s experience with nature, meaning the more time an individual spends in nature, the more connected they feel to nature and the more concern they may feel for nature. Even though humans derive many benefits from nature, our modern lifestyles have created a disconnect from the natural environment wherein we spend significantly more time indoors. Some researchers estimate that humans spend up to 90% of their lives indoors. This disconnection from nature can have a negative impact on humans because we are missing out on the beneficial effects of nature. As a result, we are less connected to nature and feel less responsibility to protect this environment. Knowing we only have one planet, humanity can make better choices that translate into clear benefits for ecology, society and the economy today and in the long term. We are all connected – and collectively, we have the potential to create the solutions that will safeguard the future of this, our one and only planet. “We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson https://youtube/watch?v=XGK84Poeynk
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 08:15:05 +0000
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