TOPIC
5: THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
•
Definition of sustainable development
•
Definition of sustainable environment
•
Global sustainable development
•
The role of EE in sustainable
development
•
Curriculum development
Definition
of sustainable development
Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs”.
(UN earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, June 1992)
Therefore,
sustainable development is economic development that exclusively relies
upon and is firmly rooted in
sustainability of the natural environment.
The sustainable development should ensure that
today’ standards of living is maintained in the future but not at the expense
of environmental degradation.
•
Sustainable
environment
Simply can be defined as the environment that its
contents can support the existence and well being of the present and future
generations.
The contents of the sustainable environment are the
natural resources (Soil, water, plants, animals etc).
If natural
resources are depleted or
irreversibly degraded , the means of wealth creation for social welfare will be
seriously jeopardized/at risk.
i.e without environmental sustainability, it is
impossible to achieve sustainable development.
•
Global
sustainable development
The progress whatever the rich developed countries
have made so far has largely been achieved through the relocation of their
dirty manufacturing facilities to poor developing countries.
However the relocation of the manufacturing
facilities in this way cannot address the growing problem of anthropogenic
pollution – it merely changes the jurisdiction/laws of the pollution created
from the ‘rich' to the ‘poor' world.
In order to achieve the acceptable level of global
environmental sustainability, the citizens must be empowered with essential
knowledge and information.
Citizens should be empowered to exert pressure on
their elected representatives to develop and implement policies for securing
environmental sustainability.
The awareness among the public and industrial
generators have to be created and motivated by the updated techniques and
incorporating the innovative and implementable solutions to reform our economy.
These can be achieved through environmental education.
•
The roles of EE in sustainable
development
Alerting the public about the need to achieve global
sustainable development and the likely consequences of failing to do so.
Focusing the
educational curricula for global sustainable development by incorporating the
know-how, skills and also the moral imperatives.
•
Curriculum
development:
Moral and ethical philosophy is needed in
Environmental Education and should be made a mandatory part of it. Why
As future citizens students should feel special
responsibility in protecting the nature and the natural environment.
Human beings are rational creatures who have an
innate need to rationalize all their actions and thoughts .Moral philosophy
provides this rationale, and by doing so gives us our humanity.
•
Criteria
for curriculum development
The content should be holistic, covering all
essential aspects.
Should also base on science and technology to deal
with pollution already produced.
Low cost technologies
which are more practicable for implementation is essential.
Local, national, regional and international
environmental issues and problems should be emphasized as they contribute to
the global environmental problems.
•
The Rio slogan “ Act locally and think
globally’’
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