1. Environmental education

Environmental education is an essential component of comprehensive and lifelong education. It is a right for all.

Environmental education means recreating the link between people and their natural, social, and cultural environments. This can involve a contribution of scientific knowledge, cultural and sensory references, the discovery of a place, an exchange ...

Based on environmental issues, it questions the economic and social dimensions of sustainable development. It aims to bring individuals and communities to grasp the environment's complexity, both natural and human-made.

Environmental education is for everyone, at all ages, and throughout life. It is facilitated by proactive action by the State and local communities, which include it in their public policies; it is put into practice by consulting public actors and actors of civil society.

2. What is the history of environmental education?

Environmental education was born in the 1960s by popular education movements, which raised awareness of nature by organizing immersion courses. With the appearance of associations for the protection of the environment in the 1970s, the notions of knowledge and preservation of natural environments were added. Following the Brundtland report and the emergence of the concept of sustainable development in 1987, the word "nature" was replaced by "environment" to take into account not only the natural environment but also the social, economic, and cultural components of the territories. Several world summits organized in the 1990s and 2000s led to the establishment of an institutional framework with the writing of the Environmental Charter (2005) and the inclusion of this education in the circulars of national education. The UN also wanted to establish a new global framework with "the decade for education for sustainable development" (2005-2014).

In parallel to this global context, various devices have emerged in the Drôme territories. Set up and funded by communities, mixed unions, communities of municipalities, various projects have been carried out.

Today, with the economic crisis, territorial reforms, and school rhythms, some systems have disappeared, and others have seen their budget reduced. However, environmental education is more than ever necessary to support the ecological transition.

Related: What is the Relationship Between Environment and Economy?

3. Why is environmental education important?

Faced with environmental issues, educational action becomes a vital issue and is essential for the emergence of environmentally responsible citizens. By providing the necessary knowledge and developing practical tools, environmental education encourages responsible behavior and values in favor of preserving the environment. This condition is particularly important for developing countries, which today face serious ecological problems which directly affect the preservation of the environment and natural resources.

Some of the environmental education importance are as follows:

- Learn about the current environmental situation and try to take all measures and procedures to form positive relationships between the individual and his environment.

- Raising awareness of the human being about the important role of the environment, as it can be used in food production and finding water.

- Facing environmental risks such as desertification, pollution, and extinction of rare animals and plants.

4. What are the most important principles of environmental education?

Environmental education based on several principles, most notably the following:

- People can rely on environmental resources to achieve economic development and achieve their well-being.

- Organized scientific planning to deal with the environment and reach the best methods that reduce environmental risks.

- Increasing the individual's belonging and feeling of responsibility towards his environment and becoming a useful individual capable of preserving his environment.

5. What are the objectives of environmental education?

Environmental education is trying to achieve a set of goals and objectives, most notably the following:

- Correct all misconceptions that confirm that natural resources and resources are continuous and inaccessible.

- Clarifying the ecosystems of individuals, the relationship between the environment and man, and that man cannot fulfill his needs except by relying on the environment and its resources. For this, it is necessary to preserve them.

- Determine all the negative effects of wasting environmental resources.

Originally published on Live Positively.