Environmental education and legislation UPSC | Environmental Geography | Physical geography

Environmental education makes us aware of the usability, problems, and conservation of the environment. 

Environmental awareness or environmental education is key to addressing environmental problems because of the following reasons:

• It creates greater awareness about the relationship between humans and the environment among individuals and communities at various levels from village to the nation to the international level.
• Greater environmental awareness makes people or organizations more cautious about environmental issues.
• It will develop a positive attitude toward people about the environment.
• The usability of resources would be more sustainable.

The following are two methods to provide environmental education:

• Formal 
• Informal

Formal environmental education includes:

• Proper environment syllabus at primary, secondary, UG, PG, and Ph.D. levels.
• Research facilities at the local level

Informal Environment education includes;

• Knowledge spreading through TV, Radio, newspapers, conferences, Signboards, etc.

Evolution of Environment education at the international level:

In 1970, the IUCN-International Union for the conservation of nature formalized environmental education.

UNESCO's Tbilisi Conference:

In 1977, Tbilisi declaration about environmental education with a major objective of awareness, knowledge, attitude, skill, and participation in the conservation and promotion of the environment.

The major objectives were:

• Groups of individuals or organizations must acquire the skill for solving environmental problems.
• Awareness should be for the whole environment and related problems.
• Make people sensitive toward the environment.

Newman's classification in 1981:

Environmental studies should be in three aspects:

• Reducing environmental disturbance through changing society.
• Emphasizing the study of processes in the environment that degrade the environment. It is mostly related to pollution.
• Emphasizing the study of technical processes that helps in reducing pollution and its impact on the environment.

Environment education in India:

• India is a very diverse country ecologically and culturally. Environment conservation is also the main part of our culture, however, growing the population and needs, and unawareness of sustainable practices are creating problems in the conservations.
• In 1983-84, the Ministry of environment and forest launched environmental education. It emphasized the informal way of environmental awareness through seminars, workshops, training programs, and eco-clubs,
• In 1991, the Supreme court of India directed the government to make compulsory environmental education at all levels of education, and the government incorporated the environment in the school syllabus from 2004-to 05.

Try to solve the following questions:

•  Comment on the impact of environmental education on quality of life. (UPSC 2015, 150 words, 10 marks)
• Discuss the objectives and principles of environmental education. Describe the basic concerns of formal and non-formal environmental education in India. ( UPSC 2018, 200 words, 15 marks)

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