Environmental education and sustainable development
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Environmental education and sustainable development

Expert Reports  
10-26-2022
 
Source: Pixabay

Issues of environmental education and sustainable development were discussed at the II International Environmental Gathering "Siberian Perspective", which was held in early October in the fan park "Bobrovy Log", Krasnoyarsk. The forum was organized with the support of Norilsk Nickel together with the National Council for Corporate Volunteering and the Association of Managers.

The representative of our EcoTourism Expert portal, Victoria Quiri, spoke about the role of eco-education in France, as well as the structures of eco-education at different levels.

According to her, environmental education is people's understanding plays an important part and awareness that the world is changing are the problems that should be transmitted to people. Nowadays, the problem associated with climate change and lack of resources is becoming more acute every day, every minute.

In France, the Ministry of Ecological Transmission is responsible for environmental education and support for green initiatives. It provides clues to understanding the challenges of moving towards an ecological lifestyle, facilitating the move of citizens and stakeholders in favor of this transition.

Therefore, the ministry:

- pursues an ambitious energy and climate policy,

- supports economic and social change,

- protects citizens by creating a healthier and safer environment in a natural balance.

Strategic directions for environmental education and sustainable development are also part of the international system. These include the Paris Climate Agreement, as well as the French Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the fourth goal: to ensure access for all to quality education on equal terms and to promote lifelong learning opportunities.

Thus, the services and operators of the ministry promote this cross-education and support professional actors at different levels: communities, educational institutions, associations and socio-economic actors.

To this end, they contribute and participate in:

- Integration of environmental education and sustainable development approaches into regional systems, plans and schemes related to the transition to an ecological lifestyle, in order to increase the ability of everyone to implement it,

- Effective and differentiated application of education in the field of environment and sustainable development for society in all its components: children, schoolchildren, students, youth, employees of structures, decision makers, pensioners, families, citizens,

- Establishing partnerships between entities to create synergy around territorial issues of sustainable development,

- Combining educational practices and social innovations for a wider and more mobilizing impact on citizens,

- Implementation of diversified educational approaches (information, awareness, eco-citizenship, education and local mobilization of citizens).

The state, in turn, implements the state policy of environmental education and sustainable development through its central and decentralized services and public institutions. Let's name some of them:

Ministry of National Education (www.education.gouv.fr)

Ministry of Culture (www.culturecommunication.gouv.fr)

Ministry of Agriculture (agriculture.gouv.fr)

Agency for Environment and Energy Management (www.ademe.fr)

French Office for Biodiversity (OFB)

Center for Research and Expertise in Risk, Environment, Mobility and Planning (www.cerema.fr)

Educational Creation and Support Network (www.reseau-canope.fr)

The Ministry also relies on national and regional networks of associations such as:

School and Nature Network (resauecoleetnature.org) (volunteering - recycling, recycling)

French Collective for Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (www.cfeedd.org)

French Network of Students for Sustainable Development (refedd.org)

Federation of Clubs for the Knowledge and Protection of Nature (www.fcpn.org)

Victoria also noted that environmental education is of a general nature. European countries in this matter act as a single organism.

For example, last week one of the largest campaigns in Europe ended in order to raise public awareness of the need to switch to an ecological lifestyle in every sense - the European Sustainable Development Week (September 18 - October 8). This suggests that European governments are promoting mobilization at all levels, encouraging initiatives in favor of sustainable development and environmental conservation. These include conferences, exhibitions, markets where local products are presented, as well as film screenings and educational projects.

Organizations wishing to involve the public in a "green" way of life can take part in this action and thus involve the largest possible percentage of the population in their activities. According to the latest data, about 1350 companies have already registered in the action, including 172 companies from France.

The European Sustainable Development Week is supported by the French Ministry of Ecological Transmission.

As part of the campaign, among educational projects such as documentary film screenings, theatrical performances on environmental topics, group tree planting, quests, various interactive campaigns were also held in order to involve the public - to give people the opportunity to try here and now how to switch to green lifestyle.

After all, the goal of environmental education is to create an opportunity for everyone to participate in the transition to an ecological lifestyle, thereby taking a step towards achieving sustainable development of society as a whole.

European experience in environmental education shows that it is effective not only to talk about existing problems, but also to provide ways to solve them, promote such initiatives and talk about them. And such information should be publicly available, everyone should know about it, from preschool children to the highest leadership of the country.