Environmental Consciousness: A Global Responsibility By Prof. Liwayway Memije- Cruz “Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet.” - Carl Sagon Environmental consciousness can be viewed as a child of the sixties in terms of its widespread recognition. Renowned scholars such as R. Carson (1962), B. Commoner (1971), and P. R. Ehrlick (1969) warned of the detrimental effect of exponential population growth and rapid technological development on our environment. These and others warned that our very survival rested in achieving a sensitive balance between the considerable and mounting forces affecting the environment. The alarm was sounded based on dangerous levels of pollution in water, air, earth, and living things; major disturbances to the ecological balance: depletion of irreplaceable resources; and tragic neglect of the man-made environment. It had to take a series of disasters before started realizing the need to take care of and nurture the environment. Indeed--- the Chernobyl accident, Mt. Pinatubo eruption, maze in Indonesia and Australia, Tsunami in Malaysia, Ormoc flood, Typhoon Ondoy and many more --- if they didn’t happen, people would probably still be abusing the environment. It is therefore not surprising that people have gained a renewed perspective toward the use of resources taken from the environment. A prerequisite to more sensitive attitudes, of course, is increased understanding. And thanks to media attention, world leaders are taking steps to ensure the continued productivity of our natural resources. In the Tbilisi Conference sponsored by the United Nations recognized the need to concentrate on the education component of environmental awareness. It constituted the stating point of a new phase of interest where environmental education (EE) was seen as the centerpiece of all efforts that aim to effect change in the attitude and behavior of people toward the environment. It saw education as a life long process that needed to be provided at all levels, both in and out of school. In June of 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This international body endorsed an additional component in the environmental education master plan: sustainable development. Sustainable development is defined as kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. To achieve sustainable development, citizens must develop decision-making strategies that would make sure that health needs, economic security, and environmental quality are maintained simultaneously (Manitoba Education and Training, 1993). Recommended strategies and approaches for achieving sustainable development are outlined in Agenda 21: An Action Plan for the 21st Century developed through UNCED. The document recognizes education as the key for providing individuals with the awareness, attitudes, values, and skills needed to undertake responsible decision making regarding human development. Agenda 21 also promotes the integration of environmental and developmental education in all disciples. A new ethic was being sought through environmental education. From the individual to the whole international community--- whatever their age, geographical position, cultural background or intellectual group--- a new awareness of the complex and dynamic interrelationship between man and his total environment had to be recognized. One of the primary aims of environmental education as endorsed by the Tbilisi Conference was to enable people to understand the complex nature of environmental issues arising out of biological interaction. The individual and the community had to be provided with the means of interpreting the independence of these various elements in space and time so as to promote a better use of resources. A key concept relates to the view that fostering responsible and effective participation concerning the quality of natural, social, and cultural environment is basic to improvement. To this end, education’s role should center on the dissemination of information on development methods likely to maintain and enhance a harmonious relationship with the environment. In short, environmental education has to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the acquisition of attitudes and skills required for the preservation and improvement of the quality of environment.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 05:14:05 +0000
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