Countless studies have highlighted the many benefits, both physical and psychological, of a strong connection between humans and nature. A decline of this connection, which was inherited from our ancestors, started around 1950 when urbanization started to spread. It further decreased when technology developed and offered better indoor activity options. Humans simply became very convenient and lazy. How long do you think city kids would survive in a remote place?

Technology can indeed be an amazing tool and we can do wonders for the environment with its help, if used responsibly. Studies have also shown that the love for nature depends on the exposure to it during the childhood. The question is: where will our future environmentalists come from?

It feels like there is not a day passing without a new article covering a new permit given for a building outside development zones in Malta. Where will we have the chance to get our children to connect with untouched nature? Every green space lost is one more nail in the coffin, literally.

When will we wake up?

The health issues will increase slowly and politicians, who maybe once thought that the green economy is not profitable, will learn the hard lesson that a degrading environment will be displayed as a big minus in the budget numbers to cover health care.

I mean, the surplus won’t keep on increasing forever, because at one point, the overdevelopment is going to bite us back. There is proof that green spaces contribute to less stress and more active citizens. A person in a high position within this country once told me that this statement “is subjective”. I strongly disagree, city person or not, all humans enjoy resting their eyes on a view of untouched peaceful nature every now and then. It simply is in our DNA and has been so for thousands of years. It won’t go away just because we, for a bit of time, lived in built up spaces.

Back in the day, the connection with nature was crucial. There was no other option than living a sustainable life, this was the simplest rule of them all for survival. The ones that failed and used up more resources than they had didn’t survive for long. So what happened? How could we lose this instinct of survival?

I mentioned the city kids stuck in a remote area and how they would survive in the start of this column. People need to realise that we take things for granted and that this is a big issue. For how long will we be able to open a tap and have running water? For how long will we be able to go to a supermarket where we can buy items from all around the world?

Another question is: for how long would humans make it if all these privileges were taken away in a second? Just think about that for a moment.

The ones taking decisions in our country seem to think that every citizen would be able to cope with such situation. I would like to see how a person who has never had a chance to walk into an untouched remote area would survive in the above scenario.

Even more worthy is the question if our leaders, who have accepted the degradation of our environment, would survive? Would they be able to tarmac their way out of the forest? Widening the roads to have one lane each? Would they be able to use the filed permit copies for Outside Development Zone as a blanket during the cold nights? Would they be able to use the money as stuffing in their pillows?

What importance will the constant surplus have when we have no trees or greenery left on this rock in the middle of the Mediterranean with no chance to escape the construction dust and air pollution?

Then ask yourself, for how long would you last? Shouldn’t skills like these be taught and prioritized? Or is it more important for a person to hear the surplus digits that won’t mean a thing once the bubble burst?

I miss role models in Malta in powerful positions that stands up for what is right and not only speaking about it, but also living it. The leaders of our country don’t seem to understand the importance of our environment to its full extent, some are clueless.

We need to find our way back by working with nature, not against it. Find the good paths and use the resources wisely so that they work for us in a sustainable way.

Nature doesn’t need us, we need nature. It’s a very basic fact and no surplus will change that.