Environmental Education (EE) is an approach, a philosophy, a tool, and a profession. As a discipline, it is applied in many ways for many purposes. Historically, it is believed that the environmental education started to develop in response to the worlds growing environmental problems in the 1960s.
But the environmental education began to grow in the last century in the form of study of nature, conservation and outdoor education. The term environmental education first appeared in 1948 at the meeting of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
According to Stapp environmental education is a process aimed to produce a citizenry that is knowledgeable concerning the biophysical environment and its associated problems, and motivated to work towards their solution.
The United Nations has designated the period 2005 to 2014 as the decade of “Education for Sustainable Development”. The objective is to integrate the concept of sustainable development in education processes around the world. This necessitates the sensitization and involvement of all persons responsible in political and business communities, citizens, teachers, students and schoolchildren.
Sustainable development is a concept for living and working in the 21st century. However, we cannot rely only on a top down approach. Sustainable development is a process of social change that must be experienced by all members of society.
In order to realize it, society as a whole – politics, industry and consumers – must be willing to both accept and implement a policy of transition to sustainable management practices.
Learning to play an active role in the creation of an ecologically compatible and economically efficient world in which social equality prevails is not an automatic process.
This is why education is a vital prerequisite for the worldwide promotion of sustainable development.
Environmental education develops skills, knowledge and values that promote sustainable environmental management. It is not confined to formal schooling but occurs also in a wide range of non-formal education settings.
Because of its very nature and importance, environmental education cannot be confined to any one group in our society. It is a responsibility for everyone – government, industry, the media, educational institutions, community groups — as well as individuals.
Education for sustainable development comprises the subjects of environmental protection, the efficient utilization of natural resources, the maintenance of the ecosystem and responsible attitudes among members of society and the business community.
Environmental education is thus an integral aspect for sustainable development.
Environmental education aims at developing a world population that is aware of and concerned about the total environment and its associated problems and has the attitudes, motivation, knowledge and skill to work individually and collectively towards solutions of the current problems and the prevention of new ones.
Environmental education envisions a new paradigm of thinking that can meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. It is evolving to be the education that will prepare the present and the future generations to plan appropriate strategies for the addressing the current and the forth coming environmental challenges.
It is an agent of change and a step towards community development and empowerment.
One of the most fundamental defining characteristics of effective environmental education is that it must lead to actions which result in better environmental outcomes, not simply the accumulation of inert knowledge or impractical skills. The values and ethics surrounding environmental protection must continue to be addressed through education, so that environmental understanding and participation becomes automatic in our lives.
Without this, the focus of environmental management will tend to be on repairs and temporary fixes, rather than longer term solutions. This is ultimately the yardstick by which the effectiveness of our efforts in environmental education is measured.
Environmental education needs to incorporate this reality by providing people with the knowledge, understanding and capacity to influence mainstream society in a way which progresses environmental objectives along with other legitimate social and economic objectives.
REFERENCE:
January 3,2017.Environmental Education: Gateway to sustainable development. Rising Kashmir.retrieved from
