Aims and Objectives of Environmental Education

Aims and objectives of environmental education emphasizes the relationship between man and the environment. The primary purpose of environmental education is to impart knowledge about the environment’s importance and to inculcate responsibility towards its protection and maintenance.

Besides, environmental education fosters the skills that enable the attitude and expertise to understand the natural environment, its limitations, criticality, and the essential ways to prevent it from harm.

Therefore, the objective of environmental education is about environmental protection through information and knowledge and developing the skill sets necessary to identify environmental issues and take steps required to resolve them.

What Are The Aims of Environmental Education?

Environmental education aims to educate young people about the importance of nature and the environment.

It encourages young minds to take responsibility for protecting the natural environment and to develop environmental awareness. Incidentally, promoting awareness and a sense of respect for nature leads to a comprehensive understanding of the environment and a reasonable attitude towards protecting it.

Environmental education aims to impart ecological knowledge and promote environmentally conscious behavior towards nature.

The Tbilisi conference of 1977, organized by UNESCO, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, drew the aims and objectives of environmental education.

Below are the aims of environmental education as presented by UNESCO;

The primary aim is to showcase the political, social, ecological, and economic interdependence of the world and how a setback towards environment and nature in one part of the world could have drastic consequences on other parts.

This way, environmental education aims to develop a sense of responsibility amongst the nature of the world to take collective actions towards the conservation and preservation of the natural environment.

Another aim is to make young minds aware of the complex nature of the environment, our dependence on it, and the consequences it will have if we don’t commit to protecting it.

Lastly, environmental education aims to encourage individuals to learn about nature, develop skills to protect it, and be a part of the global effort towards tackling and solving issues related to the environment.

Objectives of Environmental Education

Here are the environmental education objectives as highlighted by UNESCO;

Awareness

Awareness is the key to understanding! If we don’t understand the problem, we won’t be able to solve it. Therefore, the first objective of environmental education is to make individuals aware of the issue and understand the reasons behind environmental degradation.

Knowledge

After awareness comes the knowledge. The objective is to encourage individuals to seek out knowledge about the environment and all of its components.

Attitude

Knowledge won’t be effective if people lack the attitude that pushes them to take steps for environmental protection. Therefore, another objective of environmental education is to develop a sense of responsibility and perspective necessary for progressive actions towards the environment.

Skills

You have the attitude, but you also need the skill set for taking the essential steps required to protect the environment. The objective is to impart critical skills to solve issues related to the environment.

Capacity Building

The objective here is to help people develop the temperament to evaluate environmental measures and their impact accurately. Also, to develop the ability to draw accurate conclusions and unbiased inferences.

Participation

The last objective is to encourage people to participate in activities essential for environmental protection. Furthermore, the objective is to add more and more people at all levels of the decision-making process with the aim of resolving environmental issues.

Conclusion

Only with knowledge comes the understanding of the problem. The environmental education aims and objectives are clear – impart knowledge, develop attitude, skills, and a sense of responsibility that enables individuals to take necessary actions towards preserving nature and all of its components.

Environmental education takes into account the criticality of ecological issues. It aims to develop the aptitude necessary for responsible behaviors towards the environment from the early days of an individual’s life.

If you like this article, share it with your friends and students. Feel free to comment below for any environment-related queries.