We need contact with nature

Homo sapiens. Our species depends on being in our natural habitat as much as any other. For 99% of human history, we lived in wild environments, evolving psychological and physiological adaptations to suit us to these surroundings. Despite the fact that we've since invented technologies that (ostensibly) grant us independence from nature, our stubborn genes haven’t kept pace: we’re still hardwired to need immersion in verdure – the restorative sight of foliage, the calming scent of soil – to function, and to feel, as we should.

But millions are deprived of it

Urbanisation is sweeping the globe, replacing green with grey and erasing nature from hundreds of millions lives. Already, more than half of human beings live in urban areas. Already, concrete outweighs every tree, bush and shrub on the planet. And things are getting worse. Nature deprivation is an epidemic, and a social and environmental inequality: low-income households and people of colour are disproportionately deprived of both public and private green space, and suffer the negative mental, physical and social impacts of this deprivation.

It's time to fight for our right

As our disconnect from nature grows, so does the evidence confirming that our health and happiness depend on it. The great crises of our time, climate meltdown, sedentary lifestyles and stress, are all symptoms of our disconnect from nature. Coronavirus starkly highlighted the value – and disparities – in access to green space. It's time to act. Nature is a Human Right is on a mission to end nature deprivation. Our vision is of cities more green than grey, and a great outdoors open and welcoming to all. A world in which contact with nature is not a luxury, but a right.