Environmental education is an area of education aimed at making individuals aware of environmental problems and how to help fight them, conserving natural reserves and not polluting the environment.
This type of education represents a process used to preserve the environmental heritage and create development models, with clean and sustainable solutions. Not only from an ecological point of view, but also from political, economic, social and ethical aspects, among others.
The concept of environmental education began to be defined after the Belgrade Conference, in 1975, when the iconic "Belgrade Charter" was created. This document is considered an important historical milestone in the struggle to defend the environment.
The Belgrade Charter contains all the guiding and regulating principles on how educators should address issues related to the environment in the most diverse disciplines.
Environmental education is essential to ensure the sustainable development of society. It is the engine that awakens in individuals the concern and care with the practice of activities that may cause an environmental impact, such as:
- the pollution of air and rivers,
- soil degradation;
- predatory fishing;
- the deforestation;
- the production of energy with the use of polluting fuels;
- the destination of the garbage, etc.
Environmental education is an action that is now present in all nations, which seek technological development without depleting the planet's natural resources.
environmental education in schools
People need to be aware that they are part of the environment. Protecting it is synonymous with protecting the existence of Humanity. This awareness must be individual and collective and, for it to be effective, the development of critical thinking in young people is essential.
The preservation of the environment depends a lot on the way present and future generations act, and what they are willing to do to reduce the environmental impact of their actions.
For this reason, environmental education is extremely important and must be addressed in schools, so that all members of society develop environmental awareness and have responsible attitudes towards the environment environment.
See also what are the main Examples of Sustainability.
environmental education and sustainable development
Environmental education is closely related to sustainable development. One of its main purposes is to find alternative forms of development that meet the needs of human beings, without compromising the next generations to meet their own needs.
Environmental education is the basis for society to be able to create strategies that act in accordance with the ideals of sustainable development.
Learn more about Sustainable development.
environmental education in Brazil
In Brazil, Law 9795, of April 27, 1999, on environmental education, enacted by the National Congress and sanctioned by the Presidency of the Republic, provides in article 1:
Environmental education is understood as the processes through which the individual and the community build social values, knowledge, attitudes and competences aimed at the conservation of the environment, a good for common use by the people, essential to their quality of life and their sustainability.
The Law provides, in Article 2:
Environmental education is an essential and permanent component of national education, and must be present, in an articulated way, at all levels and modalities of the educational process, in a formal and non- formal.
See also the meaning of Social responsability.
