Environmental education (EE) is about teaching how natural environments work and how people can act in ways that help the environment and allow humans to live in balance with nature. It includes many subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, earth science, atmospheric science, math, and geography.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says EE is important for helping people learn to care for nature and understand environmental issues. UNESCO also highlights how EE helps improve people's lives by protecting the environment, helping to end poverty, reducing unfairness, and making sure development is sustainable.

Environmental education often happens in schools, from elementary to college. However, it can also take place outside of schools through things like books, websites, and public campaigns. Places like aquariums, zoos, parks, and nature centers also teach people about the environment in ways that are not in a classroom.

UNESCO and environmental awareness and education

UNESCO has been involved in environmental awareness and education since its early years. In 1948, UNESCO helped create the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), the first major non-governmental organization (NGO) tasked with protecting the natural environment. UNESCO also played a key role in organizing the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972. This conference led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). For two decades, UNESCO and UNEP worked together on the International Environmental Education Programme (1975–1995), which provided guidance on how to use education to raise awareness about the environment.

In 1976, UNESCO started a newsletter called "Connect" to share information about environmental education and promote the goals of the International Environmental Education Programme. The newsletter acted as a hub for exchanging ideas and connecting people and organizations interested in environmental education until 2007.

UNESCO and UNEP collaborated on environmental education for many years, leading to four major international conferences since 1977: the First Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, Georgia (October 1977); a conference in Moscow, Russian Federation (August 1987); a conference in Thessaloniki, Greece (December 1997); and a conference in Ahmedabad, India (November 2007). These meetings emphasized the important role of education in achieving sustainable development.

At the 1977 Tbilisi conference, UNESCO and UNEP explored the importance of "education in environmental matters," as highlighted in the 1972 Stockholm Conference. This was the first global intergovernmental meeting on environmental education. The Tbilisi Declaration described the environment as including all aspects—natural, built, technological, and social (such as economic, political, cultural, historical, ethical, and aesthetic). The goals of environmental education included helping people understand the connections between economic, social, political, and ecological issues in both urban and rural areas. These ideas became a foundation for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

Focus

Environmental education uses many methods that focus on how it helps society. A key part of this education is communication. For learning to be effective, information about the environment must reach all people, no matter their background. People should learn to think carefully, make good choices, and use creativity when considering environmental problems. They should also gain skills and a willingness to work alone or with others to solve these issues. Another important part of environmental education is helping people value the natural world and the resources around them. This encourages actions that protect the environment and create positive change.

Attributes

Environmental education has several important features that benefit each person. It helps people solve real-life problems better, improves physical activity and healthy eating habits, and strengthens communication and leadership skills when working together in groups.

Careers

There are many different jobs available in environmental education. These jobs often involve finding ways to solve environmental problems in the world today. The duties of each job depend on where the person works and the most common environmental issues in that area. Here are some examples of careers in this field:

• Federal Government Park Ranger – This job involves protecting national parks, historical sites, and seashores in the United States, including the wildlife and ecosystems found there. To become a park ranger, a person usually needs a bachelor’s degree and must pass the PEB exam. Responsibilities include enforcing park rules, leading educational tours for groups, and helping prevent forest fires.
• Outdoor Education Teacher – This job teaches students using outdoor activities and classroom lessons. Some teachers invite experts to explain how science works in real life. To qualify, a person must have a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related field and be CPR certified. Challenges in this field include differences in opinions about what environmental topics are most important to teach.
• Environmental Scientist – This job uses fieldwork to study natural contamination and create plans for environmental research projects. Scientists research issues like air pollution, water quality, and wildlife health. They also examine how environmental changes affect human health. A bachelor’s degree with a double major in environmental science and biology, physics, or chemistry is usually required.
• Environmental Engineer – This job combines biology, chemistry, and engineering to develop solutions for environmental problems, such as air pollution. Engineers analyze scientific research and design projects based on that research. A bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or general engineering, along with experience in the field, is typically required.

Related fields

Environmental education connects with many other areas of learning. These areas work well with environmental education but have different goals and ideas.

• Citizen Science (CS) helps solve scientific and environmental problems by involving the public in collecting data using simple methods, often in local areas over a long time.
• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) helps people make informed choices to protect the environment, promote fairness, and support economic growth for current and future generations while respecting different cultures.
• Climate Change Education (CCE) helps people understand climate change, its effects, and how to reduce its impact. It teaches learners about the causes, consequences, and ways to manage climate change.
• Science Education (SE) teaches knowledge and skills to help society think creatively and solve problems.
• Outdoor Education (OE) believes that learning outside in nature helps people care for the environment and take action to protect it. It uses outdoor settings for learning.
• Experiential Education (ExE) helps learners gain knowledge, skills, and values through direct experiences. It is a way to teach the ideas and skills of environmental education.
• Garden-based Learning (GBL) uses gardens as a teaching tool. It includes programs and activities that use gardens to teach different subjects through hands-on, real-world experiences in informal outdoor settings.
• Inquiry-based Science (IBS) is a teaching method where students explore questions and follow scientific steps, similar to how scientists work, often in nature or biology settings.

Each of these areas has its own goals, but they share some goals and ideas with environmental education.

History

The roots of environmental education began in the 18th century when Jean-Jacques Rousseau emphasized the importance of teaching about the environment in his book Emile: or, On Education. Many years later, Louis Agassiz, a naturalist from Switzerland, supported this idea by encouraging students to "Study nature, not books." These two thinkers helped create a specific environmental education program called nature study, which became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The nature study movement used stories and lessons to help students learn to appreciate nature. Anna Botsford Comstock, who led the Nature Study program at Cornell University, wrote a book called Handbook for Nature Study in 1911. This book taught children about cultural values through lessons about the natural world. Comstock and others, like Liberty Hyde Bailey, worked to gain support from teachers, scientists, and community leaders to change science lessons for students across the United States.

A new type of environmental education called Conservation Education began in the 1920s and 1930s because of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Unlike nature study, Conservation Education focused on teaching science in a detailed way to help solve problems related to the environment, economy, and society.

The modern environmental education movement started in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This movement grew from earlier ideas like nature study and Conservation Education. During this time, events such as the Cold War, the Civil Rights movement, and the Vietnam War caused many Americans to feel divided. However, growing concerns about pollution, radiation, and chemicals described in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring led people to care more about the environment. This shared concern helped create a movement called environmentalism, which showed that solving problems needed the help of all people, not just experts. In 1960, the National Rural Studies Association (now the National Association for Environmental Education) was formed in the UK to support teachers in teaching about sustainability.

In 1969, the first article about environmental education as a new movement appeared in the Phi Delta Kappan magazine, written by James A. Swan. That same year, a definition of "Environmental Education" was published in The Journal of Environmental Education by William B. Stapp. Stapp later became the first Director of Environmental Education for UNESCO and then the Global Rivers International Network.

The first Earth Day, held on April 22, 1970, was a nationwide event to teach about environmental problems. Later that year, President Nixon passed the National Environmental Education Act to include environmental education in schools. In 1971, the National Association for Environmental Education (now the North American Association for Environmental Education) was created to help teachers improve environmental education programs.

Globally, the United Nations recognized the importance of environmental education after the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) created three major declarations to guide environmental education.

In 2002, the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) was started to help address global challenges. The Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) supported this effort by creating a framework for education about sustainability. This framework included five parts: "Imagining a better future," "Critical thinking and reflection," "Participation in decision making," "Partnerships," and "Systemic thinking."

In 2013, the seventh World Environmental Education Congress was held in Marrakesh, Morocco. The theme was "Environmental education and issues in cities and rural areas: seeking greater harmony." The event brought together 2,400 people from over 150 countries. It was the first time the congress was held in an Arab country and was organized by two groups: the Mohamed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and the World Environmental Education Congress Permanent Secretariat in Italy. Topics included the importance of environmental education, partnerships, and making universities more environmentally friendly.

On June 5–16, 1972, the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was created. This document included seven proclamations and 26 principles to guide people in protecting the environment.

On October 13–22, 1975, the Belgrade Charter was created after an international meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). This charter built on the Stockholm Declaration and added goals and principles for environmental education programs. It also identified the general public as a key audience for environmental education.

On October 14–26, 1977, the Tbilisi Declaration was created during a meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union. This declaration updated the Stockholm and Belgrade documents by adding new goals, objectives, and principles for environmental education. It also emphasized the role of environmental education in improving the environment and communities worldwide.

In 1977, the Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union, focused on the role of environmental education in protecting the environment. The conference outlined the goals, objectives, and characteristics of environmental education programs.

In 2015, Pope Francis wrote an encyclical letter called Laudato si', which expanded the goals of environmental education.

Environmental education in the teaching curriculum

Environmental education has often been treated as an extra or optional subject in many traditional K-12 school programs. In elementary schools, it can include science lessons that go beyond the standard curriculum, field trips to learn about nature, community service projects, and participation in outdoor science programs. Policies related to environmental education help schools and organizations create and improve programs that teach people about the environment. These policies focus on three main areas: what is taught in school, making school buildings more environmentally friendly, and providing training for teachers and staff.

Schools can include environmental education in their lessons if they receive enough funding from these policies. This method, called using the "environment as an integrating context," uses the local environment to teach students about science and other subjects covered in school. In addition to classroom lessons, these policies also provide money for outdoor learning activities. These activities help reduce the time students spend away from nature and encourage healthier habits.

Green schools, or efforts to make school buildings more environmentally friendly, are another important part of environmental education policies. Building green schools usually costs about 2% more than building traditional schools, but the savings from energy-efficient buildings can be recovered in just a few years. These policies help schools manage the initial costs of creating green buildings. They also provide money to update or repair older school buildings. Healthy food options are also a key part of green schools. These policies support bringing fresh, locally grown food into schools.

In secondary schools, environmental education is often taught as a science subject or through student-led groups and clubs. Studies show that high school students care about environmental issues like sustainability and climate change. They learn best when they work together on hands-on projects instead of just listening to lectures. Activities such as school-wide sustainability projects, student councils, and learning about local environments have been shown to help students learn about the environment, become more involved in their communities, and develop critical thinking skills.

At the college and graduate levels, environmental education can be a separate field of study within programs like environmental science, environmental studies, ecology, or human and cultural ecology. Colleges and universities are moving away from traditional lectures by using learning methods where students work with cities, businesses, and communities to solve real environmental problems. This approach helps students connect what they know about the environment with taking action, and it builds skills needed to solve global challenges. In addition to academic programs, universities are also working to change how students think about environmental issues, helping them develop values and habits that lead to lasting changes in behavior.

Environmental education is not only taught in classrooms. Children can learn about the environment in many ways, such as through lessons in the schoolyard, trips to national parks, after-school clubs focused on the environment, and school-wide projects that promote sustainability. Events like Earth Day or participation in Environmental Education Week, organized by the National Environmental Education Foundation, can also support learning about the environment. Successful programs use a complete approach and lead by example, showing students and parents how to use sustainable practices at home and in the community.

The last part of environmental education policies focuses on training people to live in a sustainable society. In addition to understanding nature, people need skills and knowledge to succeed in today's workforce. These policies provide training for teachers and workers. Teachers learn how to teach environmental topics effectively, while workers are trained or retrained to adapt to the growing green economy. Programs that fund training are important for helping people learn how to live and work in a sustainable society.

Environmental activities for students

When students participate in environmental projects, they can better understand how what they learn in school relates to the real world. This helps them see how classroom learning applies to the real world and develop a greater understanding of how living things and the environment are connected. Here are several hands-on activities that can help students improve their attitudes and behaviors toward the environment:

• School/home gardening: Students plant seeds they choose or are interested in. Through this process, they learn about how plants grow, soil health, what plants need to grow, and how living things depend on each other. Past programs like this have shown that students develop a stronger appreciation for nature.

• Composting and waste audits: Students create a simple compost bin (often made of wood) to collect organic waste or study the trash they see at school or home. Compared to recycling, this activity involves sorting and measuring waste, helping students learn about how waste breaks down and how to reduce it.

• Citizen science projects: Students collect real data from their local areas, such as testing the quality of water in nearby streams, counting birds or insects, or sharing their observations on platforms like iNaturalist. These experiences help students learn about their environment and the challenges it faces, encouraging them to take action.

• Nature journaling: Students visit a nearby natural area, such as a park, garden, or neighborhood spot, and record observations about plants, animals, weather, and changes with the seasons. Paying close attention to their environment has shown to improve their understanding of ecosystems and awareness of nature.

• Habitat-creation: Students build simple spaces for animals, such as a "bug hotel," birdhouse, or plant native flowers to support wildlife. These projects teach students about biodiversity, how food webs work, and the importance of human-made spaces for helping animals in cities.

• Nature art projects: Students gather natural and recycled materials to create art, such as paintings, sculptures, or collages, that express an environmental idea. By using these materials, students strengthen their connection to nature and practice creativity and critical thinking about environmental issues.

In the United States

After the 1970s, more organizations not run by the government that focused on teaching about the environment kept growing. More teachers began using environmental education in their classes, and the movement received more support from political leaders. An important step happened in 1990 when the United States Congress passed the National Environmental Education Act. This law created the Office of Environmental Education within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and allowed the agency to start environmental education programs at the national level.

The EPA describes environmental education as a process that helps people learn about environmental problems, find solutions, and take action to improve the environment. This process helps individuals understand environmental issues better and gives them the skills to make decisions that protect the environment. The EPA lists these goals of environmental education:

• Being aware of and caring about the environment and its challenges
• Knowing about the environment and its challenges
• Feeling responsible for protecting the environment and wanting to improve it
• Learning skills to solve environmental problems
• Taking part in activities that help solve environmental problems

Through the EPA Environmental Education Grant Program, public schools, communities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations can apply for federal money to fund local projects that match the EPA’s goals: improving air and water quality, ensuring chemical safety, and involving communities in decisions.

In the United States, earlier influences on environmental education included the Nature Study movement, conservation education, and school camping. Nature Study combined classroom learning with outdoor exploration. Conservation education taught people about the dangers of using natural resources carelessly and the need to protect them. George Perkins Marsh wrote about how humans are connected to the natural world. Government groups like the U.S. Forest Service and the EPA supported conservation efforts. These conservation ideas still shape environmental education today. School camping gave students hands-on experiences with the environment and resources outside the classroom. These early influences continue to affect environmental education as it develops.

Obstacles

A study of teachers in Ontario, Canada, looked at challenges in teaching about the environment. Teachers from grades K-12 answered an online survey. The most important problems they reported include too many subjects to teach, not enough supplies, environmental education not being a top priority in schools, limited time for outdoor learning, students not caring about environmental issues, and debates about social and political actions.

An article by Stevenson explains how environmental education and traditional schools have different goals. Stevenson says that recent changes in environmental education, which focus on action and critical thinking, make it hard for schools to teach effectively. Modern environmental education aims to change how people make decisions to help the planet stay healthy. This is different from traditional schools, which often focus on keeping current social systems and values. This difference creates a big challenge for teachers who teach environmental education.

Another difficulty is the belief that all environmental educators have a hidden goal. Environmental education is defined as helping people understand different views on environmental issues. More training is needed for teachers to stay within the profession’s standards and for the public to understand that the goal is to help people make informed decisions.

A problem in teaching about the environment is the quality of education itself. Charles Sayan, leader of the Ocean Conservation Society, wrote a book called The Failure of Environmental Education (And How We Can Fix It). In an interview, he said environmental education has not been successful in fighting climate change, loss of wildlife, or environmental harm. He believes it is not keeping up with environmental problems and suggests improving student involvement and making lessons more relevant. Similar ideas are shared in a paper by Stewart Hudson called Challenges for Environmental Education: Issues and Ideas for the 21st Century. Another study says that school leaders play a key role in education but face many challenges that make it hard to implement environmental education plans.

In 2017, a study found that high school science textbooks and government resources about climate change in the United States, EU, Canada, and Australia focused on less effective ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions instead of promoting the most helpful strategies.

Movement

Environmental education has grown since it started in industrial societies. It has helped participants move from learning to appreciate nature to gaining knowledge about creating a future that protects the environment. This change shows how many programs first teach people to care about nature, which then leads them to take actions that help conserve and protect the environment. Examples of these programs include Life Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Cornell University.

Environmental education in the global South

Environmentalism has become more important in the development of the Global South, as developed countries help poorer nations address environmental problems caused by poverty. Environmental education in the Global South focuses on sustainable development, which has been a goal in international plans since the 1900s. Organizations like UNESCO and the Earth Council Alliance (ECA) have worked to promote sustainable development in these regions.

In 1977, a meeting in Tbilisi led to the Tbilisi Declaration, an agreement that set guidelines for environmental education at all levels—local, national, regional, and international. The declaration aimed to improve environmental awareness and actions, which helped shape modern environmental education.

After the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, over 80 National Councils for Sustainable Development were created in developing countries between 1992 and 1998. These councils helped countries meet global sustainability goals and find creative solutions.

In 1993, the Earth Council Alliance released the Treaty on Environmental Education for Sustainable Societies and Global Responsibility. This treaty outlined how environmental education can support sustainable development by involving people in decision-making and provided methods for its use. It helped expand environmental education efforts in the Global South, where discussions now include human population growth, economic challenges, and the need for global cooperation. Environmental education in the South addresses local needs and connects environmental issues to community impacts. In contrast, developed countries often focus on conservation without considering local community needs. In the Global South, environmental education supports economic growth through development projects, as noted by UNESCO, by using human and natural resources effectively while protecting the environment.

In the 21st century, the United Nations included environmental education in the 2000 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aimed to end extreme poverty, improve education, and promote sustainability by 2015. Although the MDGs had some success, their goals were not fully met, so they were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs aim to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure peace and prosperity for all. These goals include objectives from the MDGs but add an environmental focus to address challenges like inequality, overuse of resources, weak institutions, and environmental harm that the MDGs did not fully address.

Trends

Environmental education is changing to help students make choices based on facts and experiences, rather than just beliefs and activism. Over time, environmental topics have been added to school standards set by governments. A study showed that having strict, standardized curricula can make it harder to teach environmental education. Some teachers feel upset about this shift and prefer the earlier focus on activism, while others believe the new approach is better and easier to use. Many schools still encourage students to take part in environmental efforts. They understand that successful environmental programs need support from both students and school leaders.

In 2019, Italy announced that environmental education, including lessons about sustainability and climate change, will be taught as part of other subjects in public schools and will be required.

In the United States, the Every Student Succeeds Act includes Title IV, Part A, which allows funding for environmental education as part of a "well-rounded" education and student health programs. Title IV, Part B also allows funding for environmental literacy programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. Money from both parts is given to states based on the Title I formula. In the 2018 budget, Titles IVA and IVB received $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. This was a $700 million increase from the 2017 budget, making the 2018–2019 school year the year with the most funding ever for environmental education.

Renewable energy education

Renewable energy education (REE) is a newer area of learning. Its main goals are to teach students about the ideas, facts, rules, and tools used to collect renewable energy sources. Based on these goals, renewable energy education programs should help students learn, explore, understand, and use their creativity. These programs should consider the world’s growing population, as non-renewable resources may run out in the next 100 years. Renewable energy education is also shared with political leaders to help countries develop in ways that protect the environment and improve people's lives. This effort aims to help millions of people move out of poverty and improve their lives in many countries. Renewable energy education also teaches the public about climate change and the technologies used to collect renewable energy. Understanding these technologies is important so that more people can use and support them.