With urbanization, are humans losing their connection to nature?

'Extinction of experience' threatens conservation Dan Riskin reports on fears that people will become less likely to protect nature as they have fewer experiences in it.

A rise in urbanization around the world is seeing more people settle down in cities compared to rural areas.

By spending more time in urban settings, are humans losing their connection to nature?

Scientists in France and Germany aimed to answer this question by looking at data that measures the “experience of nature,” or our psychological and emotional connection to plants, animals and the Earth.

They discovered populations are living farther from nature than they used to, on average.

CTV News Science and Technology Specialist Dan Riskin looks at how this might affect future attitudes towards conservation efforts in this month’s Riskin Report.