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I chose this picture because nature is a place where we can escape from reality and stay at peace. The earth is the canvas and nature is the painting. Without nature, there is no life and the earth would be empty like an unpainted canvas.

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I chose this picture because to me, nature is very cool and outstanding because of all the cool things that it can make. For example, this is a picture of the Northern Lights in Canada. It shows that the sky creates different colors.

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I define nature as something beautiful but something we take advantage of and avoid taking care of it.

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To me nature is peaceful and provides all sorts of resources for us.

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Nature is natural occurring phenomenons that happen. I think a rainbow shows that nature works in beautiful and mysterious ways. It also fills us with life, joy and curiosity.

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Nature's protection bubble slowly disappears

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To me, nature means the life here on Earth. It is the animals, the plants and anything that gives this planet color and life. However, nature is also slowly degrading due to pollution, so I have chosen a picture that also shows the effect it has on nature.

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I chose this picture because it gives me peace and strength, allowing me to disconnect from my worries and troubles.

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I chose this photo because to me, nature is peaceful and beautiful

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I chose this picture because it shows lungs. To me, this is what nature is. It keeps us alive by providing us with air, food, water, and shelter.

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I personally think of nature as a chameleon. Chameleons are very beautiful and stunning to look at, especially when shifting to other colors. Because nature also shifts to other color schemes once in a while, it's a breath of fresh air and comfort.

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I chose this picture because I find nature to be a unique and important aspect of our lives. It serves as a memorable experience as well as a reminder to take care of our surroundings and to appreciate them.

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I chose this photo because it shows how colorful and comforting nature can be.

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I define nature as the world around us. Our world would be boring without the plants and animals that provide for us and make the world beautiful.

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I chose this picture because it shows how nature can be very serene and beautiful.

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This is my chosen picture since I see nature as something beautiful and unique. I believe that nature brings life to the earth, and that looking at it calms the mind.

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I chose this picture because when I think of nature I usually think of rivers, mountains, rocks, trees, or anything that is just in the outdoors that looks really cool and natural.

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I define nature as something worth appreciating because it is pleasing to the sight of other people and nature is a great gift from the Lord since it helps us in our daily lives.

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I chose this image because I personally define nature as something breathtaking and beautiful. Nature can be peaceful and wild at the same time and I think this image represents that.

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This is my picture because I think nature is a great place to think and to get peace. Nature is so beautiful and we shouldn't take it for granted.

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I chose this photo because it shows how fresh and clean the water is, just like how Mother Earth kept it.It gives me comfort when I’m feeling down too.

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I chose this picture because nature is our home and provider. Mother nature, even though we exploit its resources, will never stop giving and providing for us.

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I chose this photo because to me nature is captivating, colorful, unique and amazing.

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I define nature as a a book because there are lots of places which still haven't been explored but is there for us to appreciate just as how a book has chapters that are yet to be read.

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I chose this picture because i think nature is both unique and beautiful.

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I chose this picture because to me nature is something God made for all of us to explore. A place where we can be reminded of God's power and creation.

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Spending time in nature can boost overall well-being, but how much exposure do we need? A new study concludes that 2 hours each week is enough to reap the benefits, though significant questions remain.

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Being in the countryside boosts well-being, but how much nature do we need?

In Western society, as overall interaction with nature slowly declines, scientists are exploring whether reconnecting with parks, woodlands, and beaches might benefit our general health and well-being.

Researchers have run a number of studies, of varying quality, that have examined the role of human interaction with nature in overall health.

For instance, one study concluded that living in areas with more trees increases a person's perception of both physical and mental health and reduces the risk of cardiometabolic conditions.
One 2016 review concluded that "living in areas with higher amounts of green spaces reduces mortality, mainly [cardiovascular disease]."
Despite the slow accumulation of evidence for the benefits of visiting green spaces, no one has calculated the exact amount of time someone needs to spend in nature to reap the benefits.

The authors of the new study, from the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom and Uppsala University in Sweden, aimed to "better understand the relationships between time spent in nature per week and self-reported health and subjective well-being."

They recently published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.

To investigate, the team took data from the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment survey, which includes a representative sample of the U.K. public. The researchers collected data for this survey by conducting face-to-face interviews at participants' homes.

They used a sample of 20,264 people and asked them a range of questions, two of which were, "How is your health in general?" and "Overall, how satisfied are you with life nowadays?"

They also asked the participants how much contact they had had with nature in the past 7 days, including "parks, canals, and nature areas; the coast and beaches; and the countryside including farmland, woodland, hills, and rivers," but not including "routine shopping trips or time spent in your own garden."

The researchers asked how often they went and how long each visit lasted; from that information, they extrapolated the participants' average weekly exposure to nature.

Before analysis, the scientists also controlled for a long list of variables, including sex, age, the average amount of exercise taken each week, the level of deprivation in the local area, dog ownership, and relationship status.

They found that there were no significant benefits to self-reported health or well-being until participants reached the 2-hour mark. Any less did not make a noticeable difference, and any more did not boost the positive effect any further.

People could take the 2-hour exposure as one long trip or across several shorter trips.

"Two hours a week is hopefully a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week to get the benefit."

Study lead Dr. Mathew P. White

The study authors discuss the size of the positive effect, explaining that the increase in self-reported health and well-being following 2 hours of contact with nature each week is similar to the differences observed in:

people living in an area of low versus high deprivation

people employed in a high versus low social grade occupation

people who achieve the recommended levels of physical activity in the previous week versus those who do not

Because of the impressive size of the effect, the team hopes that public health officials will soon be able to use the growing body of evidence to inform new policies. As study co-author Prof. Terry Hartig explains:
"There are many reasons why spending time in nature may be good for health and well-being, including getting perspective on life circumstances, reducing stress, and enjoying quality time with friends and family."
He adds, "The current findings offer valuable support to health practitioners in making recommendations about spending time in nature to promote basic health and well-being, similar to guidelines for weekly physical [activity]."

This study encounters the issue of cause and effect; for instance, perhaps people who experience depressive symptoms do not feel the urge to visit forests.

As its authors write, "we are unable to rule out the possibility that the association is, at least in part, due to healthier, happier people spending more time in nature."

They also explain that their method for measuring weekly exposure to nature was far from perfect, writing that they "asked about only a single randomly selected visit in the [p]ast week." However, they believe that across more than 20,000 people, this effect should cancel out.

Also, they reiterate how important it is to treat interview data "with caution," as human memory is certainly not perfect.

Although the 2-hour threshold is the headline statistic, the authors call for caution here, too. They believe that, at least in part, this duration could be due to clustering in the data; people are much more likely to say that they visited a forest for 1 or 2 hours, for instance, rather than 1 hour and 23 minutes or 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Limitations aside, the evidence is mounting for the psychological benefits of spending time in nature.

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Exactly how much 'nature time' do we need to boost well-being?

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Spending time in nature can boost overall well-being, but how much exposure do we need? A new study concludes that 2 hours each week is enough to reap the benefits, though significant questions remain. In Western society, as overall interaction with nature slowly declines, scientists are exploring whether reconnecting with parks, woodlands, and beaches might benefit our general health and well-being.

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I chose this picture because it shows the beauty and life in Earth. 

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I chose this photo because I think nature is peaceful and at the same time can be a little chaotic.

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I chose this picture because nature is unique and abundant. This picture shows how beautiful nature is and that we need to appreciate it and conserve it before we ruin it.

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This is my chosen picture since I define nature as something that surrounds us and it is what we often wake up to. We always see it so I think that sometimes we're not able to appreciate it enough and it is taken for granted.

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To me nature is our surroundings, the place where we get to appreciate God's creations whilst feeling safe and comfortable. Nature is what brings life and color to our environment it's there to remind us of the ever growing life around us and it even provides us with breathable air.

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I chose this picture because I think no matter how much damage we do to nature, nature will still try to be beautiful and bright

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Behind the Mountain The sun rises behind the Zugpsitze mountain in the Alps. © Nicolai Brügger/TNC Photo Contest

Perspectives

Deeper investment in natural systems can help create jobs and important innovations while tackling another urgent global threat: climate change.

The global opportunity of nature

COVID-19 has created huge challenges for societies around the world. We have experienced the loss of millions of lives to a global pandemic, the disruption of key parts of our social fabric, and record losses in jobs and economic activity. And further uncertainty lies ahead. Tackling the pandemic remains, rightly, the number one priority.

However, governments across Europe are also thinking hard about how they can help our societies and economies recover.

In this, nature is one of our greatest allies. The Nature Conservancy believes deeper investment in natural systems can help create jobs and important innovations while tackling another urgent global threat: climate change.

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Harnessing nature's power to rebuild better

Despite overwhelming evidence and consensus that climate breakdown is already in progress, action from governments and corporations still lags far behind what's necessary to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and keep the planet below the 1.5℃ target that many believe is needed.

Just as investments must be focused on accelerating the transition to clean energy and improving energy efficiency, it's equally urgent to harness the power of nature to fight climate change. The world's forests, grasslands and wetlands have the capacity to both store carbon and reduce carbon emissions-if they remain healthy. In fact, these 'natural climate solutions' could deliver up to a third of the emissions reductions needed by 2030. What's more, these lands support vital ecosystem services, biodiversity, access to freshwater, improved livelihoods, healthy diets and food security.

In other words, we cannot rebuild better - or effectively fight climate change - without deepening our investment in nature.

Europe embraces nature in its Green Deal

With a detailed pandemic recovery plan announced in May, Europe has been one of the first major economies to put nature at the heart of its recovery. It is doing so through its Green Deal - a comprehensive plan to put Europe on track to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy by 2050, including through restoring the health of its natural environment, while also protecting the regions' wildlife.

One of the many suites of actions planned under the Green New Deal is the New EU Forest Strategy which looks to significantly scale the protection and restoration of Europe's forests as a key way to absorb more greenhouse gas emissions.

The Forest Strategy also acknowledges the positive impact the EU can have on forests outside its borders through promoting imported products and value chains that do not involve deforestation and forest degradation.

We cannot rebuild better - or effectively fight climate change - without deepening our investment in nature.

Europe's business sector mobilises to support the Green Deal

Achieving the Green Deal cannot be done by policymakers and institutions alone; it requires strong collaboration between representatives from governments, industry and the business sector. CEOs of many of Europe's leading companies, including Deutsche Bank, Axa, Snam, and Royal DSM are part of a CEO Action Group for the European Green Deal which aims to mobilise the business sector to contribute to the effort.

Also, among the European companies that have stepped up to align with the Green Deal's net-zero goal by 2050 are a number of the major international energy companies based in the region.

As noted by Forbes in May, 2020:

"European oil majors have increased their ambitions to tackle climate change markedly in the last six months, with Total, Shell, BP, Repsol and Eni all having made commitments to significantly reduce the carbon intensity of the energy they supply ".

Natural climate solutions can play a key role in meeting these new commitments, particularly in the short-term. This needs to be in addition to, not at the expense of, rapid decarbonisation of the companies' core businesses. In other words, nature presents an opportunity for them to go further, faster on climate change.

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One example of this is Shell. The Nature Conservancy has been working with Shell on natural climate solutions since 2016, and in 2019 Shell announced a plan to invest $300m in natural climate solutions around the world. They have since also committed to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050 or sooner.

Working with industry leaders is important, but we also need stronger, and clearer, rules for how such companies invest. The Nature Conservancy is working with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the World Economic Forum and other entities to develop these global rules.

Whether with governments or corporate partners, TNC brings its science and experience delivering natural climate solutions to the table, ensuring climate solutions are grounded in evidence, so that we can be confident that scaling corporate support for nature is a genuine win for people and planet.

As Europe moves from commitments to implementation, the region has a lot to do. However, as the world's largest global trading bloc and economy, Europe's actions have significant ripples around the world. The Nature Conservancy is excited to help put nature at the heart of the plan to deliver a net-zero EU.

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Perspectives Deeper investment in natural systems can help create jobs and important innovations while tackling another urgent global threat: climate change. COVID-19 has created huge challenges for societies around the world. We have experienced the loss of millions of lives to a global pandemic, the disruption of key parts of our social fabric, and record losses in jobs and economic activity.