Connecting nature to health

Don’t forget that you need the Earth to be healthy in order to maintain a high level of happiness yourself. Graphics/Elín Edda Þorsteinsdóttir

Our health is often our biggest concern in life. What should we eat? How much exercise should we get? But what about the environment around us? Isn’t that important? It has been proven that we feel better in a natural ecosystem, so why don’t we spend more time in nature? Why are we not providing more green spaces in our cities? There are so many questions and very few answers, but it’s an important discussion to have.

Nature and health. Health and nature. We have heard and read a lot about how nature can affect our physical and mental health. For example, you feel instantly happy when you look at the sea, smell wildflowers, hear the singing of the birds, or drink water directly from a river. Also, nature can serve as a calming factor, improving symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Apart from mental health effects, studies have suggested that patients who have access to a natural view from their hospital rooms get well sooner. In conclusion: we need nature for our health and well-being. Nature is not a miracle cure for diseases, but it does help individuals become happier and healthier more quickly.

However, what do we mean when we talk about “nature”? Are the terms “nature” and “wild” connected?  What about studies that use the phrase “wild nature”? Recently I read a study that used the term “everyday nature.” What is that?  Is it a tree planted on the side of the road or flowers sold in a florist shop? Previously, I mentioned the word “wildflowers” since, for some people, the positive effects of well-being can only come from “real nature,” i.e., nature that is not man-made. In Iceland, nature is only considered “wild” if it’s at least 5 km from anything man-made, like electrical lines and roads. So when talking about “going into nature,” you have to first ask yourself, “What is nature and where is it?” From my point of view, we can also have a positive experience being in a botanical garden although it is not wild at all. It can be an educational and interactive experience, but it normally won’t fill you with the same complete happiness that you might get from a wild natural place; hence, the importance of maintaining wild spaces. Further, national parks and protected areas are great ways to maintain wild spaces while regulating who and how many people have access to them.

From this we could say that our health depends on Earth’s health. Imagine a world without trees, fresh water, and clean air . . . what a nightmare, right? Well, we are cutting down thousands of trees every minute. We are raising the global temperature and provoking the melting of glaciers into fresh water. We are polluting our atmosphere with carbon emissions and leaving no fresh air. This is the reality. We are slowly, and not so slowly, damaging Earth’s health. We all know about this damage as it is everywhere in the news. What is not in the news is how to avoid this situation: solutions.

The use of fossil fuels is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cause for climate change. Fossil fuels are a type of energy used in transportation such as cars and planes; therefore, eating local food would greatly decrease the amount of fossil fuels needed to transport your products. Another solution is to avoid taking airplanes, due to their huge carbon footprint, while opting for public transport like trains and buses. This could create an opportunity to explore much more of your own country instead of taking international flights. The fight against climate change should not be seen as a way to deprive your recreation or “fun” time but as a way to do the things you like in a sustainable way.

Another topic that people tend to have very strong opinions about is the consumption of animal products. Some see it as vegans versus omnivores, but this should never be viewed as a fight. Personally, I have been vegan for a year now. I had been a vegetarian for many years, but I ate meat for the first 18 years of my life. Eating meat is a part of our society and is considered to be a normal thing. Further, it doesn’t help if the influence from the meat industry means that this topic is avoided. It is a fact that a vegan diet has a much lower environmental impact on Earth than an omnivorous diet. The production of meat, fish, and diary requires land to raise the animals and to grow their food, such as soy.

Inversely, a plant-based diet reduces the amount of land deforested, fossil fuels used in transportation, and infrastructure needed for factories and machinery. As I said before, eating local products has positive consequences. As you can see, eating is an important factor in the climate change topic. We should have more discussions about what products we are consuming and where they come from. Surely, reducing the use of plastic straws and bags is important, but what products do you have inside your environmentally friendly cloth bags, what impact do they have on Earth’s health, and why are they all wrapped in plastic?

This is an individual exercise which should be combined with government action. When we talk, when we go out to the streets to demonstrate and state our demands, like with “Fridays for Future,” they will listen (sometimes). So yes, go have fun, eat well, and exercise, but don’t forget that you need the Earth to be healthy in order to maintain a high level of happiness yourself. We should all think more as a community or species that lives on a planet that we need to take care of and listen to, instead of only thinking about what our bodies need.

Thank you for reading and stay healthy!