World Environment Day 2017: Connecting people to nature

The 5th of June is World Environment Day (WED). In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly designates this day as World Environment Day and urges, "Governments and the organisation in the United Nations system undertake on that day every year world-wide activities reaffirming their concern for the preservation and enhancement of the environment, with a view to deepening environment awareness and to pursuing the determination expressed at the Conference."
It has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues such as environmental pollution, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime since 1974. World Environment Day has been hosted by a country each year since 1987. Recent hosts have included Angola, Italy, Barbados, Brazil, Norway and the United States. Canada has been declared as host country for WED in 2017.  
Each WED is organised around a theme that focuses attention on a particular pressing environmental concern.  The theme for 2017 is "connecting people to nature". This year's theme invites us to think about how we are part of nature and how intimately we depend on it.
Erik Solheim, the Head of UN Environment said, "We can enjoy nature year-round, but World Environment Day is when the whole world comes together to celebrate our beautiful planet."
Erik added that the day remind us, "What a treasure nature is, and encourages us all to protect and appreciate our environment�it helps encourage action to protect our environment and fosters a deeper appreciation of our connection to the natural world."
UN Environment and the Government of Canada called on citizens all over the world to think about how we depend on nature, and to find ways to experience and cherish that vital relationship.
Currently, more than half of the world's population lives in cities.  Within the context of human history our environment has been predominantly natural, but now it has become increasing urban and virtual. We spend more time interacting with technology.
According to the New York Times survey, people between the ages 8 and 18 are spending at least seven and a half hours in front of screens these days. Attention deficit disorder appears to be well connected with nature deficit disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods.
Children's lack of confidence to explore their world around them is attributed to their distance of natural environments. Louv concluded that "the natural world's benefits to our condition and health will be irrelevant if we continue to destroy the nature around us."
More than 90 percent of world's food is grown in soil. Around 5.5 billion additional tonnes of carbon could be captured each year with changed soil management. Cost associated with the loss of vultures in India is 34 billion dollars. If we assess our liquid assets, we will see that the amount of rain, snow and drizzle that falls each year is approximately 505000 cubic kilometers. Saving made by New York City, as an example, through investing in nature for its water is 7 billion dollar.
The proportion of the world's water that is fresh rather than salty is 0.03 per cent. Contribution to global GDP from fishing, fish processing and sales is 274 billion dollars. Extra 50 billion dollars could be gained from well managed fish stocks.
Annual economic value provided by the oceans is 21 trillion dollars. Proportion of oxygen produced by plankton is over 50 per cent and proportion of planetary living space that is in the sea is 99 per cent.
In England annual costs caused by mental illness is 105 billion pound but annual cost of maintaining 27000 parks and green spaces in the UK is 630 million pound. Survey suggests that where there is a more local green space there is a less unhealthy population. Parks and green spaces can provide a natural health service.
Studies at the University of Michigan showed that people who spent one hour in nature experienced a 20 per cent boost in memory and attention spans. The University of Kansas also found a 50 per cent increase in creativity after people spent a few days in nature.
Research shows that interactions with trees, has a role in physical and psychological health, and in tackling mental illness. Hanging out with trees can cure headaches.
One of the paradigm shifts in recent years is to see nature as a capital. This idea defines nature, among other things, a set of economic assets which, if managed well, can produce dividends that flow from those assets indefinitely. Seeing nature as the provider of a set of economically vital services, rather than resources that can be used up to fuel economic growth is an important shift. Some countries have begun to integrate natural values into their national accounts.
American Psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed a theory that explains a human hierarchy of needs. Maslow suggests that human need progresses from the most basic needs like food and shelter towards more complex emotional needs like respect and self esteem. It is an idea that is mirrored in the step necessary to form a deep connection with nature.
Recently in the UK, children's connection to nature has been measured at a national scale. Only 10 per cent of children in the UK played regularly in natural places compared to 40 per cent in 1970.
A report published by National Trust in Britain titled "Natural Childhood" identifies the need for reconnecting children with nature. Royal Society for the protection of Bird (RSPB) reports titled, "Connecting with Nature" put forward some recommendations for children such as: adopt the measure of children's connection to nature using some strategic approach, include all possible types of experience in nature within the formal education system, consider nature near home which can influence children more and in order to do this policy regarding local green space is important, remove any obstacle so that young people can take action to save nature and be an active citizens in society, enrich positive attitude towards nature at home by ensuring families are able to experience, learn about and connect with and take action for nature, and acknowledge that facts, knowledge and understand about nature, ecology and human impacts on the environment are crucial factors influencing connection with nature.
Different health journals have put forward some ideas about connecting with nature such as taking break from work and go outside and sit on the grass, walking and collecting some flowers or even weeds, grass etc, walking barefoot so that your foot touch soil underneath,  examining the trees, the clouds, the birds, the weeds, the air, and anything else that one comes cross along the way, and when out in nature, really focus on all senses -- what one can smell, hear, or feel.
American biologist Edward O Wilson in his book Biophilia introduced and defined biophilia as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life". The biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Wilson maintains that nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.
Research shows that if children do not have the opportunity to explore and develop biophilia during their early years, then biophobia, a dislike to nature may develop. With Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's wise words, I would prefer to conclude: "Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
Dr Kanan Purkayastha is an Environmental Scientist, University Teacher and a Fellow of the Institution of Environmental Sciences in UK