Connection with nature is an oxymoron: A political ecology of “nature-deficit disorder”

Abstract

It has become commonplace to argue that greater "connection with nature" is needed to mobilize support for both biodiversity conservation and environmentalism generally, and hence to call for more effective environmental education to achieve this. I employ a political ecology lens to problematize this increasingly conventional wisdom by highlighting the ways in which a sense of separation from "nature" is in fact paradoxically reinforced by the very environmental education and related practices employed to overcome it. In response, I call for greater interrogation of the concept of "nature" as well as the political-economic structures driving environmental degradation.

Questioning care cultivated through connecting with more-than-human communities

“…An aspiration to live more responsibly with others is commonly articulated as a need for greater connection, reversing anti-ecological separatism (Gibson- Graham & Roelvnik, 2009). The field of environmental education has been particularly influenced by the idea that lack of connection with nature is a contemporary malaise to be countered, hence a focus on 'reconnecting children with nature' (Fletcher, 2016). Environmental education programmes operate on the premise that direct experience of the natural world generates knowledge which influences attitudes then enacted in behaviour (Goralnik & Nelson, 2011).…”

“…Beyond empirical weaknesses of claims for community gardening as a route to care for nonhumans there are ontological flaws meaning the narrative of reconnection paradoxically, reinforces the notion of human separation from nature (Fletcher, 2016). Much scholarship on urban gardens takes a simplistic view of the relationship between nature and society, assuming a gulf between the two with nature on the positive side of the divide (Classens, 2015).…”

“…Murdoch (2006) suggests that overcoming humans' significant power to do harm requires sense of connectedness to be accompanied by a sense of separation through critical reflection on our unique power and responsibility. But environmental education tends to focus on individual experiences, rather than political-economic systems driving ecological destruction (Fletcher, 2016). Emphasis on direct personal experience of nonhumans may have limited impact unless complemented by intentional reflection on ethical values (Goralnik & Nelson, 2014).…”

Age and connection to nature: when is engagement critical?

“…Attitudes are largely based on emotions, and the strength of an emotional connection toward the natural environment is associated with pro‐environmental behavior (Hinds and Sparks ). In contrast, emotional disconnection hinders conservation (Fletcher ). Although there is disagreement about the direction and strength of links between attitudes and pro‐environmental behaviors (Barthel et al .…”

Fostering Well-Being in Education Through Yoga and Mindfulness in the Snow (Snowga)

“…Through my research I found mindfulness, in a group setting, in the natural world, to be one means of achieving balance, inclusion, and connection (a sense of well-being). While mindfulness opens the possibility of finding connection (Rechtschaffen, 2014), the connection is incomplete if no link is made with the natural world; mindfulness can be a way of forming deeper connections while simultaneously situating the self as one with nature, rather than separate from nature (Fletcher, 2016). "Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4).…”