Should we connect children to nature in the Anthropocene?

1. To most conservationists and many parents, it seems obvious that it is a good thing to teach children to value the natural world. Not only does connection with nature support their development and well-being, but it also supports ongoing efforts by humans to sustain the natural world. 2. However, there are incontrovertible trends towards a diminution of the state of nature as a consequence of human activities. 3. In this context, as a thought experiment, we address a rather grim question: Should we still encourage children to be connected to nature, to care for it and be concerned about it? 4. We first consider the meaning of connection to nature in the Anthropocene, and then turn to a consideration of several ethical dimensions of this problem, including the potential trade-off between well-known health benefits of time in nature and the long-term psychological impacts of loss of nature (e.g., ecological grief and solastalgia). 5. While there is no simple answer to our question, our analysis does highlight underappreciated ethical dilemmas of the Anthropocene as well as the value of the local, urban forms of nature to which children around the world are increasingly exposed and engaging with in unprecedented ways.

Automated summary

Teaching children to value the natural world is important, but the diminishing state of nature due to human activities raises the question of whether children should still be encouraged to care and be concerned about it. Ethical dilemmas include the trade-off between health benefits and long-term psychological impacts, as well as the underappreciated ethical dilemmas of the Anthropocene.