Youth Voices for a Nature-Positive Economy: A Fresh Perspective from Trinity College Students

Written By Marta Lopez

How can we build an economy that works with nature rather than against it? Last year, we published a concept note exploring the foundations of a nature-positive economy, sparking conversations about the role of businesses, policymakers, and communities in driving this shift.

Now, we’re passing the mic to the next generation. In this three-part blog series, "Youth Voices for a Nature-Positive Economy," students from Trinity College share their reflections, critiques, and insights on our Concept Note. Their perspectives highlight the challenges, opportunities, and bold ideas that could shape a more nature-positive future!

We're delighted to share the final compelling piece, this time from Ali Al-Ani whose article offers unique student and educator perspectives. Al-Ani commends the initiative's holistic approach while critiquing its Euro-centrism and youth engagement strategies. Drawing from his experience as both MSc student and teacher, he advocates for broader global pilots and digital platforms to reach younger audiences—reminding us that effective environmental initiatives require accessible content that resonates beyond academic circles.

A reflection on the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note from a part-time teacher/student perspective

08/04/25, an article by Ali Al-Ani

The GoNaturePositive! concept note aims to present a revolutionary framework for a transition towards a Nature-Based Economy (NBE). GoNP! is an initiative spearheaded by global experts and is funded by the European Union to address biodiversity loss and align economic activities with planetary boundaries (Koh, et al., 2024). From a MSc student/part-time primary school teacher's perspective, this reflection will critically analyse the concept note by highlighting its strengths and weaknesses while proposing actionable recommendations to make the concept note more interesting for students and young people.

Opinion and Evidence

A notable strength in the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note is its holistic approach in tackling complex issues and its alignment with already known frameworks such as Doughnut Economics (Raworth, 2017) or the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From my perspective (a student in the field), such alignment makes it easier to grasp concepts that have been already established before GNP! However, in the case that a reader is unfamiliar with such concepts, the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note also does a fantastic job in its comprehensiveness. The use of information tables such as the stakeholder table where every actor involved is listed and what their roles are, or the thorough explanation of existing concepts relating to NBE where 8.5 pages were spent (Koh, et al., 2024).

Another strength of the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note is that it is not overly ambitious to the point it turns people off. The concept highlights the word "net" as an important aspect, stating that there will be an acceptance of at least "some" negative impacts, so long as there is an overall positive impact on the restoration of nature, hence the word "net" (Koh, et al., 2024).

Such humility makes the concept seem more feasible, as overly ambitious claims can trigger ambition aversion or psychological distance that can cause stakeholders to immediately disengage and walk away from such a project (Bar-Anan, et al., 2007).

The GoNaturePositive! Concept Note places great significance on stakeholder collaboration, highlighting the importance of inclusivity in achieving a Nature-Positive Economy, which is a big strength. The authors of the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note assert that the Nature-Positive Economy must also be inclusive, ensuring that "Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, who are key stewards of traditional knowledge and biodiversity, form an integral part of the decision-making process and benefit from the sustainable use of natural resources."

Focusing on stakeholder collaboration and putting indigenous peoples at the heart of the transition is aligned with the "Just transition" where, according to the United Nations, 2023, "no one is left behind or pushed behind in the transition".

This strengthens the concept's credibility by fostering trust and shared responsibility and ownership amongst everyone. Unfortunately, this comes crumbling down with the document's overwhelmingly European-centric approach which can undermine its "inclusive" claim.

While the document aligns itself with European legislation such as the Green Deal, it offers very little reference to non-European contexts. GoNP! is funded by the European Union and there is mention of one global pilot; however, the minimal addressing of challenges faced by regions such as Africa or Latin America can detract from the credibility of the initiative. Such regions are often extremely biodiversity-rich with an abundance of natural resources and indigenous peoples and communities outside of Europe who are not mentioned, with no emphasis on their critical role in this journey to going nature positive as well as the fact that they are often the most vulnerable (Hill, et al., 2011).

The GoNaturePositive! Concept Note is a well-written and comprehensive document for a lot of stakeholders such as policymakers; however, from a young teacher and college student perspective, the document is simply ineffective in its engagement with young people.

Firstly, the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note is word-heavy and while there are numerous graphs and visuals, these are very conceptual and fail to grasp the attention of a modern college student.

Research shows that students spend 2 hours on average reading academic work and that all kinds of visual and auditory learning are much more attractive to students (Qian & Lingjie, 2017). Not to mention the digital age where young people are more attuned to watching videos as a form of learning (Leasal, et al., 2020), making this lengthy document and even the executive summary quite unattractive for a young mind.

Moreover, the campaign has more opportunity of marketing itself to younger people on social media. LinkedIn is for older folks, and they do not have TikTok or X accounts, which shows an extremely big opportunity missed.

While this is a "concept" and that in March we will have a more robust vision, the document suffers from a high level of abstractness that hinders the ability to engage with it without the provision of real-world examples. The document relies too heavily on theoretical frameworks and abstract visuals without relatable, concrete examples.

While the document is all about systemic change, there are no mentions of success stories or real-world applications that make it easier for a reader to engage with. GoNP! is lacking in engagement with young people who are a vital stakeholder group that will be the next generation of change-makers.

Recommendations

While the document is comprehensive and addresses key stakeholder groups, in order to adhere to the Just Transition and inclusive claims the document makes, a shift to a global perspective is needed. Biodiversity-rich regions such as Africa, Asia, or Latin America have IPLCs whose engagement can bolster nature restoration.

The document mentions Brussels and Amsterdam among 5 European pilots and 1 global; however, there needs to be a bigger number of global pilots. If this were to increase to 4 where there is one in Latin America, Africa, Asia and perhaps Australia or North America, it would significantly enhance the credibility and inclusivity of the initiative.

To enhance engagement with a young audience, the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note needs to incorporate more real-life pictures rather than conceptual models, such as students/people planting trees or vertical gardens when explaining NbS.

The campaign needs to also have different methods of engagement with young people, such as the creation of educational videos tailored for platforms like Instagram, TikTok or even YouTube. Such videos can translate the complex issues and concepts highlighted in the GoNaturePositive! Concept Note to simplified, digestible, and engaging formats that can get younger people on board.

 

Reference list

  • APA. (n.d.). Attention spans. APA News Podcasts https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans

  • Arctic WWF. (2024). WWF Living Planet Report 2024: A planet in crisis.
    https://www.arcticwwf.org/newsroom/news/wwf-living-planet-report-2024-a-planet-in-crisis/#

  • CARE. (2024). COP29: Only 8 out of 78 world leaders attending are women. CARE International. https://www.care.org/media-and-press/cop29-only-8-out-of-78-world-leaders-attending-are-women/

  • Cell Press. (2015). Networking our way to better ecosystem service provision. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(15)00300-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2\Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0169534715003006%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

  • Consilium. (2023). G7 2030 Nature Compact. European Council.
    https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/50363/g7-2030-nature-compact-pdf-120kb-4-pages-1.pdf

  • Consilium. (2024). International summit meetings. European Council.
    https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2024/11/12-13/

  • EIB. (2023). Ecosystem services and nature: Maximizing environmental benefits. European Investment Bank.
    https://www.eib.org/en/stories/ecosystem-service-nature#:~:text=Ecosystems%20services%20offer%20benefits%20such,sports%2C%20lakes%2C%20flood%20protection

  • EIF. (2023). EIF Working Paper 2023/87: Female access to finance—A survey of literature. European Investment Fund. https://www.eif.org/news_centre/publications/EIF_Working_Paper_2023_87.htm

  • Formula D. (n.d.). Interactive sustainable exhibits. Formula D Interactive.
    https://formula-d.com/our_work/interactive-sustainable-exhibits/

  • IPBES. (2019). Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services. IPBES Secretariat. https://www.ipbes.net/global-assessment

  • Irish Peatland Conservation Council. (n.d.). Quirky facts about bogland biodiversity. Retrieved December 7, 2024, from https://www.ipcc.ie/quirky-facts-about-bogland-biodiversity/

  • IUCN. (2021). Save our planet: Let’s embrace nature-positive solutions. International Union for Conservation of Nature. https://iucn.org/crossroads-blog/202109/save-our-planet-lets-embrace-nature-positive-solutions

  • JNCC. (2024). Nature Positive 2030: Summary report. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. https://data.jncc.gov.uk/data/6de7bf27-055e-4407-ad29-4814e1613d90/nature-positive-2030-summary-report. pdf

  • QUINTESSENCE Consortium. "Networking Our Way to Better Ecosystem Service Provision." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 31, no. 2 (2016): 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.12.003.

  • Lehigh University. (2019). 130,000 Years of Data Show Peatlands Store Carbon Long-Term. Recuperado de https://www2.lehigh.edu

  • Monash Sustainable Development Institute. (n.d.). Peatlands Carbon Storage – Evidence map. Recuperado de https://www.monash.edu

  • Science Direct. (2019). Networking our way to better ecosystem service provision. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534715003006#fig0005

  • Science News. (2019). Our shrinking attention span. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190415081959.htm

  • Science.org. (2012). Human domination of Earth’s ecosystems. Science. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1214915

  • Scott, L. (2022). The cost of sexism: How the economy is built for men and why we must reshape it. Faber & Faber.

  • This is Your Brain. (2024). Our incredible shrinking attention span. https://thisisyourbrain.com/2024/03/our-incredible-shrinking-attention-span-with-dr-gloria-mark/

  • Treat, C. C., Kleinen, T., Broothaerts, N., Dalton, A. S., Dommain, R., Finkelstein, S. A., ... & Yu, Z. (2019).

  • Widespread global peatland establishment and persistence over the last 130,000 y. Proceedings of the National

  • Academy of Sciences, 116(35), 17867-17873. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1813305116

  • UBP. (n.d.). Nature-positive: A game changer for economies and societies. Union Bancaire Privée. https://www.ubp.com/en/news-insights/newsroom/nature-positive-a-game-changer-for-economies-and-societies

  • Van Rhijn P, Vanderleyden J. The Rhizobium-plant symbiosis. Microbiol Rev. 1995 Mar;59(1):124-42 doi: 10.1128/mr.59.1.124-142.1995. PMID: 7708010; PMCID: PMC239357.

  • WEF. (2020). Half of the world’s GDP moderately or highly dependent on nature. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/press/2020/01/half-of-world-s-gdp-moderately-or-highly-dependent-on-nature-says-new-report/

  • WEF. (2021). What is nature-positive and why is it the key to our future?. World Economic Forum.

  • https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/06/what-is-nature-positive-and-why-is-it-the-key-to-our-future

  • Wicaksono, W.A., Cernava, T., Berg, C. et al. Bog ecosystems as a playground for plant–microbe coevolution: bryophytes and vascular plants harbour functionally adapted bacteria. Microbiome 9, 170 (2021).

  • https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-01117-7

Marta Lopez
Next

Youth Voices for a Nature-Positive Economy: A Fresh Perspective from Trinity College Students