Prosperity comes at ‘devastating’ cost to nature–BBC, February 2, 2021
A landmark report (the Dasgupta Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, commissioned by the UK Treasury) concludes that prosperity has come at a “devastating” cost to the natural world. It argues that losses in biodiversity are undermining the productivity, resilience and adaptability of nature, which in turn put economies, livelihoods and wellbeing at risk. The report proposes to recognize nature as an asset and to reconsider our measures of economic prosperity. The Dasgupta report will do for nature what the Stern Report did for climate change and will set the policy agenda going forward. The full (606-page) report is HERE.
What have we learned from the world’s largest nutrition study?–MedicalNewsToday, February 2, 2021
NutriNet-Santé—the largest ongoing nutrition study in the world—investigates the exceedingly complex relationship between nutrition and health. Its main findings so far: (1) Ultra-processed foods are THE nutritional pariah, associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, mortality, depressive symptoms, type 2 diabetes, obesity and gastrointestinal disorders; (2) Nutritional scores will become widespread thanks to their major impact on consumer choices; (3) Organic food seems to be beneficial—something highly contested until now.
Virtual reality tourism ready for takeoff as travelers remain grounded–Guardian, February 6, 2021
With globe-trotting banned in the pandemic, more people are turning to virtual reality to relieve pent-up demand for travel. Escapism from the sofa through a growing range of VR travel experiences is whetting appetites for post-pandemic holidays and could be a watershed moment for technology in tourism. For Oculus’ Quest 2 headset, super-popular experiences include National Geographic VR, which takes users to places such as Antarctica, where they can navigate icebergs in a kayak and survive a raging snowstorm as they search for a lost emperor penguin colony. Another app, Wander, teleports VR travelers from the pyramids of Egypt to the gardens of the Taj Mahal.
A Striking Stat:
Half of people globally expect to increase their focus on their physical and mental wellbeing in 2021. People with a proactive mindset about their wellbeing are significantly more likely to be optimistic about the future (53%) than those who are not proactive (22%).
Source: Lululemon Athletica’s Global Wellbeing Index, January 2021
The BBC article really makes you wonder what the cost of what they call prosperity. This has terrible consequences for future generations. I realize that I am not saying anything now that has not already been said before, but why is the world in all its magnitude inactive?