Requiring councils to list neglected public land on which to plant fruit and vegetables would be a good thingThe weakening of the human connection to nature might be good for economic growth but is bad for people. A tipping point was reached in 2020 when human-made materials – such as steel, concrete and plastic – were found to weigh more than all life on Earth. Continuing to grow concrete forests rather than real ones is shortsighted. Simply being in the nearest wood, with attention and sensory intent, has such health benefits that the Woodland Trust successfully lobbied for it to be prescribed by doctors.Yet slipping from popular culture is the wonder and beauty of the natural world. For every three nature-related words in hit songs of the 1950s, researchers found, there was only slightly more than one 50 years later. It is not a moment too soon that teenagers will be able to take a natural history GCSE, given that for decades children have been able to name more video game characters than wildlife species. In 2017, polls suggested that a third of young children thought cheese came from plants. Continue reading…
Source : theguardian.com
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