What is the importance of environmental education

Environmental education is the process through which society is educated to become aware of the global reality of the planet , about the relationship of human beings with each other and with nature and the problems that arise from this relationship and its consequences as well as the causes that lead to them.

In addition to teaching and raising awareness about the importance of the environment, environmental education seeks to create values ​​in citizens and attitudes that promote the rational use of natural resources and the solution to the many environmental problems that occur, mainly in cities. .

The main function of environmental education is to make society aware of the complexity of nature and the environment , as well as to make people acquire knowledge, values ​​and skills that allow them to take active action in prevention and solution of current environmental problems, as well as responsible and quality management of the environment.

A key point of environmental education is that it exposes the relationship that exists between the natural environment and social systems . It is more than an educational process, it is the basis for future generations to create a lifestyle more sensitive to the environment, in which members of society must participate to improve the relationship between humanity and the environment in which they live. .

The main objectives of environmental education are included in the Belgrade Charter of the International Seminar on Environmental Education in Belgrade, 1975, which is addressed to the general public.

In general, the main goal is that the population of the whole world, through training, is aware of and has concern for the environment in which we live and its problems. This is intended for the population to have sufficient knowledge and tools, as well as motivation and commitment to work both individually and jointly in the difficult task of finding solutions to current environmental problems as well as to prevent future ones.

With all this, according to the Belgrade Charter, the objectives of environmental education are the following:

• Create awareness by making people sensitive to the environment and its problems.
• Generate knowledge in people for the basic understanding of the environment as a whole, the problems associated with it and the effect that humanity has on it, which means adopting a critical point of view.
• Create attitudes in society through social values, as well as creating interest in the natural environment that leads to participation in its protection and improvement.
• Create skills in people that make them capable of solving environmental problems that occur.
• Grant the necessary evaluation capacity to be able to assess the environmental education measures and programs that must be established according to ecological, political, aesthetic, social and educational factors.
• Promote the participation of individuals and social groups in the development of their own sense of responsibility, as well as in the awareness that there is urgency in the need to address environmental problems, ensuring that the measures taken to address them are appropriate .

At this point, it seems that the importance of environmental education is obvious. The growth and technological development that has occurred during the last decades has generated great benefits at the expense of our environment, which is increasingly deteriorated. It is necessary that all humanity is aware of the environmental situation in which we find ourselves so that adequate measures can be taken, both at international levels and at an individual and personal level, adopting habits that respect the environment. You may be interested in this other AgroCorrn article in which we answer the common question about ” How can I help the environment? “, Focusing on it from an individual point of view.

Consequently, this can begin to be remedied through environmental education. Knowing the causes that alter the natural environment we can intervene either to avoid them or to minimize them so that in the future the impact they produce is reduced and thus guarantee that future generations enjoy a healthy and adequate environment that is capable of satisfying basic needs. through its resources, but without these being overexploited or generating repercussions on the nature from which they were extracted.

Maybe once you know the importance of environmental education, you may also be interested in knowing How to take care of the environment , through this other AgroCorrn article.

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