Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/637230
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2016 40 Environment JOHN PAUL CAUCHI IN our bubbled, cocooned lives, spent amidst the stone and con- crete that characterises life for most of us, we find ourselves increasingly overstressed. Noise, traffic, dead- lines, ugly buildings, appointments, monochrome colours... We often long for a quieter pace of life, and look forward to vacation breaks for a 'brain re-charge'. Our brains, with the consistency of egg-yolk (no, they aren't computers) located in that chamber behind our eyes, get fatigued, no matter how hard we try to believe they don't. And when we do get fatigued, society accuses us of failing our duties and expecta- tions, to one degree or another. However, science is finally catch- ing up to what is pretty obvious to most of us – that relaxing in natu- ral surroundings is what our brain often needs to wind down and find solace. Indeed, scientific studies conducted by top scientific institu- tions across the world are finding that nature is the perfect antidote to modern life. When we slow down and take a pause from our hectic lives in natural surroundings, we feel a sense of restoration and re- juvenation and, unsurprisingly, our mental performance increases. This is no surprise – even though we live in an affluent 21st cen- tury society, our brains and bodies haven't evolved much in the past few millennia. We have in effect gone from hunter gatherers liv- ing in a natural setting to the fast- paced lives that characterises us to- day, in our artificial environment. In evolutionary timescales, this has happened overnight. Our bodies are adapted to the previous state of being, not our current one, which is why we desperately need more of nature in our lives. Try as we might to deny this obvious fact, the truth is – we need Nature. Recent studies in Exeter medical school using mental health data of over 10,000 urban city-dwellers has clearly shown that people liv- ing adjacent to green spaces have reported less mental distress, even after accounting for other factors such as education and income. Similar studies carried out in other institutions across the EU and the US have found a lower incidence of depression, anxiety, heart disease – even diabetes and asthma – in people who lived within a kilome- tre of a green open space. Note – the space is open, and green, not a playground covered in cement, or a little private garden. The benefit of nature also ex- tends to the presence of trees in our vicinity. In 2015 the health records of 31,000 adult residents of Toronto, which included the residents' cardio-metabolic condi- tions, household income, years of education and their perception of their own health was combined in a study using satellite imagery with public data on half a million trees in Toronto. The study(1), published in Scien- tific Reports, found that planting 10 or more trees in a city block, on average, increased residents' overall health. These improve- ments in health were comparable to an "increase in annual income of $10,000, moving to a neighbor- hood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger." The co-author, Marc Berman told The Washington Post that after controlling for income, age and education, the study "found a sig- nificant independent effect of trees on the street on health". Is it the fresh air, perhaps? Is it the colours, or patterns, and their ef- fects on our brain? Or is it exercise – that those living in the vicinity of green areas feel more incentivised to exercise more? Studies have shown that even when exercise is accounted for, there still is a ben- eficial effect. It seems that we need nature, no matter how hard we try to deny it. Studies have also shown that having natural views outside of a hospital window increases the rate of recovery. Those with views of trees and grass also seem to perform better in school, and display less violent behaviour. It is important to note that the above studies do not just rely on subjective perception, but on objective results as well – stress hormones and heart rates seem to change for the better, and mental performance increases sharply af- ter exposure to nature. We often think that happiness can be gained through shopping, or higher income, or other things most of us strive for. However we often forget that we evolved in na- ture, and thus we are disconnecting ourselves from our natural state. Contact with nature greatly in- creases fulfilment. Is it any surprise therefore that we complain of a de- cline in our quality of life, when we are so estranged from our natural home? In the end we don't need science to prove the obvious. However an increasing level of scientific litera- ture on this subject might give evi- dence that our policymakers can- not refuse. My hope is that further such research would slow down or stop the cementification of our lives, which keeps occurring at the cost of our health, sanity and hap- piness. Dr John Paul Cauchi is a special- ist in environmental public health, and also a committee member of Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar. 1. Kardan O, Gozdyra P, Misic B, Moola F, Palmer LJ, Paus T, et al. Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center. Sci- entific Reports. 2015;5:11610. Germany's largest association of judges and public prosecutors this week publicly criticised the European Commission's Investment Court System, a set of reforms to replace the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism in the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The judges are questioning the legal basis of such system, as well as the need for it to be introduced in the first place. The European Commission has presented the Investment Court System as a radical new system of investment protection, supposedly establishing a public court to handle disputes. Accor ding to the judges, the proposal looks more like a permanent arbitration tribunal. Friends of the Earth Europe has joined civil society groups to express opposition to the proposal which fails to fundamentally reform the flawed system of investor protection, in particular the granting of exclusive privileges to foreign investors over the rest of society, and ignores the fact that investor rights are not needed in an EU-US agreement. The movement throughout Europe against toxic trade deals that promote corporate privileges at the expense of the public interest is growing by the day; it is unstoppable. It is time for the European Commission to take stock and get rid of investors' rights once and for all. To have 'edible' as part of your name is most unfortunate for an animal, and the Edible Snail (M: Għakrux Raġel) is one such hapless creature. After a rain shower, armies of searchers invade the countryside to collect this snail by the bagful, their sole intention being to turn this gastropod into gastronomy. Thankfully the Edible Snail is (still) very common, and this also despite a constant pesticide war waged against it for having the audacity of nibbling our crops. Snails belong to an enormous group of animals (85,000+ species) known as molluscs, which also include slugs, clams and oysters, squids and octopuses. Most molluscs are aquatic, so that a snail drawing a silver trail across your garden path is actually an exception to the mollusc rule. But even so, the molluscs that colonised the land still need a damp habitat to survive, which is why land snails shut down for the summer. Incidentally, the 'raġel' in the Maltese name is misleading, as snails are hermaphrodite. GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 395: SKIP THE COFFEE STIRRER – Simply put your sugar and cream in first, and then pour in the coffee, and it should be well mixed. Determined to stir? Break off a piece of pasta from the cupboard. You can nibble after using it, compost, or throw away with less guilt. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate TTIP: judges question legality of investor rights proposal Text Victor Falzon Photo Desirée Falzon 492. EDIBLE SNAIL Your Brain on Nature