[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If the term “nature positive
” is new to you, you may be interested in this disruptive idea. From an environmental health perspective, nature positive refers to a comparatively new concept based on regeneration, resilience and recirculation as opposed to destruction and pollution.
What is "nature positive"?
The nature positive model, which is predicated on the goal of halting and reversing nature loss by 2030, was developed in 2019 by a group of environmental organizations, sustainable businesses, and research institutions. What is now known as the
Nature Positive Initiative (NPI), aims to drive alignment around the definition, integrity, and use of the term "nature positive" and support broader, longer-term efforts to deliver nature-positive outcomes.
At its most fundamental level, nature positive means ensuring more nature in the world in 2030 than in 2020 and continued recovery after that. This healing approach must absolutely be a collective global effort, as no one person, company or organization gets us to nature positive. Achieving this notable aim will require permanent shifts towards practices and behaviors that promote environmental sustainability, biodiversity and the overall health of ecosystems.
An unusual event in our recent history, the Covid 19 pandemic, gave us a sneak preview of nature positivity in action, as explained by the
World Economic Forum. During 2020, many deserted urban areas were reclaimed by animals, and carbon dioxide emissions plummeted as transportation ground to a halt. In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration,
the United States produced the least CO2 emissions in 2021 from energy in nearly 40 years!
The pandemic made a virtually iron-clad case for a shift towards a
net-zero,
nature-positive global economy, and we do in fact have the knowledge and the tools to actualize this. What is required is the will. To that end, in 2021, G7 leaders committed to a global mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and to become "nature positive" to the tune of net-zero emissions by 2050, as part of the 2030 Nature Compact.
The G7, which stands for Group of Seven, is an informal forum of the world's leading advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. They meet annually to discuss global economic and geopolitical issues, including economic development, foreign and security policy, trade and climate change
The Nature Positive Initiative is the second phase of work that commenced in 2019. In December 2022, this ambitious goal was codified in the mission of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark international agreement that sets a roadmap for global biodiversity action.
What is a nature positive mindset?
Becoming nature positive involves adopting a mindset that prioritizes the wellbeing of our environment and making conscious choices that contribute to the restoration and conservation of our natural world. If you would like to increase your own nature positive mindset, education is the key, especially since our understanding of the most effective eco-efforts is a moving target as we learn more and apply new technologies, ideas, and behaviors to environmental problems.
A nature positive mindset includes learning from our mistakes, such as believing for decades that the solution to dangerous plastic pollution was recycling, rather than reducing our reliance on plastic altogether. As reported by Greenpeace, the vast
majority of consumer plastic placed into recycling bins actually ends up in landfills or the ocean. In fact, astoundingly,
less than 10 percent of plastic has ever been recycled.
What nature positive actions can you take?
One of the most powerful nature positive actions you can take is to implement a Plastics Purge, because as a consumer, this is one area that you can directly control. Once you understand that there is no way to safely discard plastic, given that it merely breaks down to even more hazardous microplastics, you may be more highly motivated to phase it out.
Microplastics are now found in virtually every environmental matrix, contaminating our oceans, rivers and lakes, and even in rain and snow, demonstrating that no corner of the planet is exempt from plastic pollution.
Until recently, scientists believed that microplastics were primarily an environmental issue. However, we now know they are present in human tissues, infiltrating our blood, the placenta and even in our brain tissue. One study found microplastics in brain, liver and kidney samples from people who died in different years—with a
50 percent increase in brain contamination observed over just eight years. According to Harvard University,
microplastics can cause oxidative damage, DNA damage and changes in gene activity that increase cancer risk.
As you can see, a nature positive approach enriches biodiversity, stores carbon, purifies water, reduces pandemic risk and enhances the health and resilience of our planet and ourselves. A nature positive mindset?which emphasizes regeneration, resilience and recirculation over destruction and pollution?forces us to think differently about our place in the world, and how we can create a safe destination for humanity.
What is the future of nature positivity?
In terms of future vision, a nature positive goal complements the agreed global climate target of net zero emissions by 2050. To achieve this, we need to reduce emissions by 50 percent in 2030. However, as climate science shows, even that falls dangerously short. According to the
Common Global Alliance, the only way to hold the 1.5°C line is to simultaneously cut emissions, safeguard natural carbon sinks and transform agriculture from one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases to a vital store of carbon.
A nature positive goal is not only necessary and beneficial on its own merits, but it is also a prerequisite for us to have any chance of delivering the Paris climate agreement. Any definition of “net” nature positive must clearly state companies and countries cannot destroy nature in one place and restore it elsewhere. This is simply unacceptable and will rightly be open to criticism of “
greenwashing.”
This means governments, cities and businesses need to know what to measure. Science-based targets for a nature positive trajectory are still under intense discussion. Currently, the proposed quantitative targets are zero loss of nature from 2020 onwards, nature positive by 2030, and full recovery by 2050.
Why is getting to nature positive such a crucial aim? Because ultimately, our lives depend on it. The Earth is one huge eco-system, and we are all connected. We must understand that as we ignore nature’s cries for help, we endanger ourselves as well. But we
can still turn things around, with the understanding that when nature wins, we do too.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="2/12"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="3/12"][vc_single_image image="155612" img_size="full"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="2/12"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="3/12"][vc_single_image image="155612" img_size="full"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="2/12"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="183868" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1744752719154{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/seventh-generation-paper-towels-100-recycled-paper-unbleached-chlorine-free"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="183867" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1744752734999{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/method-all-purpose-cleaner-concentrated-refills-pink-grapefruit"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="183869" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1744752765291{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/zum-wool-dryer-balls-with-aroma-blend-sea-salt"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
