With nature declining all around us,  it would seem that another urgent call to stop harming the planet won't change the situation. There's even evidence that such emergency calls to action are making it harder, not easier, to work together to get anything done.

Our Nature perspective offers a new approach to motivate nations to create a future where people can thrive together with the entire living world.  At the heart of this approach is a new measure: the Nature Relationship Index (NRI).

The Human Development Index (HDI) helped to shift the meaning of human progress beyond economic growth and GDP to prioritize human health, education, and living standards. The NRI expands the meaning of progress beyond human advancement alone to include our relationships with the rest of life on Earth.

The journey to the NRI began with the 2020 Human Development Report - the first to connect human development with the Anthropocene. A fundamental question emerged:

How to move beyond the disempowering narratives of planetary crisis to inspire and empower societies to work together to shape a better future for people and nature alike?

The aspirational approach to planetary futures and the NRI approach are the fruit of two years of discussions and workshops with experts in ecology, psychology, anthropology, Indigenous philosophy, governance, sustainability science, and more.  Now, the NRI is being developed for release in the next UNDP Human Development Report.

Please, from now until October 15: Please contribute your expertise to the Global Expert Consultation to Develop the Nature Relationship Index (NRI):

👉https://anu.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eYi9gBoQyO0BvsG?sce=s18

Even 15 minutes can make a difference.

A Nature paper  is a milestone, but it is only the beginning. The challenge now is to connect with a global audience: to show that nations can, and should, be accountable and motivated to strengthen their relationships with the living world.

To make measurable progress, progress must be measurable. The NRI opens a new way forward by expanding the meaning and measure of progress to prioritize a world where people and nature thrive together.

Our societies are already capable of creating a much better future than the one they are creating now. And when people demand that better future, governments are motivated to act.