ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR
 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

              Environmental degradation is in an alarming rate and it results in various environmental issues such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, greenhouse effects, and raise in sea water level, improper monsoon and acid rain. Science and technology have brought immense benefits but we are paying a high ‘price' for it. Education has been identified as an essential component for sustainable development worldwide. The role of education can also positively influence the management of the world’s increasingly stressed natural resources through the incorporation of successful techniques of environmental education. Environmental education provides students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences essential to become successful community leaders, as well as making intelligent decisions pertaining to the management of their natural resources. Education has made many valuable contributions to societies and development globally, and is recognized for the important role it has in improving livelihoods worldwide. Quality education should prepare societies to actively participate in global politics and economics, as well as provide people with the skills necessary to make informed decisions and take responsible actions. Throughout the world, societies have recognized education as a key component of sustainable development.

India is challenged by the nexus of environmental degradation and economic growth amidst the paradoxical coexistence of poverty and affluence in their multifarious dimensions. These challenges are directly linked with the conservation and maintenance of the life supporting systems such as land, water, air, and biological diversity. The major causes of environmental degradation are population growth, industrialisation, changes in consumption patterns, and poverty threatening the dynamic equilibrium that could exist between people and ecosystems. In an effort to address these issues, environmental education for sustainable development (EESD) is emerging as an important approach to encourage students to conserve and protect the natural environment in their schools and in their neighbourhoods. The main Objectives of this research were to foster the acquisition and transfer of the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour with reference to the protection of the environment and sustainable development in selected high schools . India is challenged by the nexus of environmental degradation and economic growth amidst the paradoxical coexistence of poverty and affluence in their multifarious dimensions. These challenges are directly linked with the conservation and maintenance of the life supporting systems such as land, water, air, and biological diversity. The ultimate drivers of environmental degradation are population growth, inappropriate technology and consumption choices.

According to UNESCO's recent documents, sustainable development is the “ultimate goal of the Man-environment relationship”; thus, the whole educational process should be “reshaped for sustainable development.” In view of the extreme importance of their educational impact, such statements need to be discussed. In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the years from 2005 to 2014 the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). Governments from around the world have been invited to strengthen their contribution to sustainability through a focus on education.

Prof. John Kurakar