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Education,
Environment and Sustainable Development
Deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, degradation, climate change, ozone depletion are some of the global environmental concerns. The book, which is a collection of 19 essays, attempts to highlight some of these issues besides explaining the concept of sustainable development in detail. Sustainable development focuses on correcting the imbalance created in the environment and seeks to promote economic development without compromising environmental issues. It seems to be the only mantra to bring out the humanity from this mess. The key to such development is through participation, organisation, education and empowerment of people. The book dwells on the concerns for environment that started surfacing after the 1960s, with the United Nations taking up the first global initiative to discuss environmental crisis at the Conference on Human Environment held at Stockholm (Sweden) in 1972. In the past two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the efforts to spread environmental awareness among the people. However, most of these national and international initiatives have failed to yield fruitful results. Lack of awareness is the root cause of ‘environmental illiteracy’ and this is amply revealed by a study conducted on the lifestyle of the residents of Baramunda village in Bhubaneshwar, where more than 70 per cent of males and 50 per cent of females are literate, yet they live in filthy conditions. A little awareness and participation can make a difference to their lives. But the question is: how to induce people to participate for such a crucial cause? To make the masses aware of the problem, educating them is the best and most practical tool. The book discusses the current scenario of environmental education in India at various levels and emphasises the need for the value-based and action-oriented course on environment education. It also talks about the necessity of making it a part of higher education and teacher education besides the role of mass media in promoting the clean and green surroundings. The media is playing an effective role in educating the masses, with the satellite technology and the Internet opening new vistas for effective, economical and rapid communication. The elements of media are not mere vehicles of communication; they often go one step further by conditioning thought and determining behaviour. The role of women in propagating the message of environment also finds space in the book and it deliberates upon the women empowerment to expedite the process of conservation. Another study presented in the book reveals that girls are more aware and committed to the environment protection programmes than boys. The solution to the present-day problems does not lie with the governments or scientists but with a well-educated citizenry. This book can help in imparting the environmental education in general. At the same time, it would provide detailed and sufficient information to the researchers, teachers and students on the subject. Information in some of the chapters has been supplemented with the help of a number of tabular and graphical presentations for making it easy to understand.
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Unplanned
human activities are inflicting harsh and irreversible damage on the
environment. In the mad race to consume more, mankind is using up the
earth’s finite resources such as topsoil, water and forests far faster
than the natural process can regenerate them.