Environmental education

Abstract

Major international events (UNESCO-UNEP, 1978; UNESCO-UNEP, 1987) have described environmental education as an education about, in and for the environment. This implies that environmental education initiatives should cater for the following components: the acquisition of accurate environmental knowledge; the development of skills that facilitate learning, the nurturing of pro-environmental attitudes and values that form the basis of a sound environmental ethic. It is through the synergistic effect of all these components that environmental education addresses every aspect of Agenda 21 (UNCED, 1992). The trends in the development of local environmental education, mentioned in the first State of the Environment Report (Environmental Protection Department, 1999), were also evident during the period covered by this report (see Figure 10.1). However, these past few years have once again revealed that the weakest link in this development was the co-ordination of environmental action. The main reason for this, stems from the fact that, in the absence of a supporting infrastructure, very little is done to coordinate initiatives generated from the increased awareness and participation of the public.