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T. A. Raman and J. M. Luetz
education for human behaviour change in the area of sustainable development and
have distinguished two common approaches: The first conceives human behaviour
as either “predicated on knowledge of scientific facts, hard evidence and robust peer
reviewed information” (citing Boyes and Stanisstreet 2012) or as inherently “unpredictable and psychologically, socially, contextually and situationally constituted”
(citing Sapolsky 2017; Kelly and Barker 2016).
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental education
as:
A process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving,
and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible
decisions. (EPA 2016b, p. 1)
Since the early 1970s, a number of international declarations and fora have highlighted the role which environmental education can play in grappling with environmental problems including climate change. Of particular significance to the role of
education is the 1972 Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment “which
produced an immense sense of urgency about the environment and development
issues” (Greenall and Womersley 1977, p. 17).
The 1975 Belgrade Charter, as well as the preceding 1972 Stockholm Declaration, and the subsequent 1977 Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO 1978), are viewed as
the early beginnings of formal international environmental education initiatives and
stressed that “environmental education should be provided to people of all ages, all
levels of academic aptitude, and must be delivered in both formal and non-formal
environments” (Wright 2002, p. 204). The goals of environmental education included
in the Tbilisi Declaration were:
1. To foster clear awareness of, and concern about, economic, social, political and
ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas.
2. To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values,
attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment.
3. To create new patterns of behaviour of individuals, groups and society as a whole
towards the environment (UNESCO 1978, pp. 26–27).
Agenda 21 (an outcome of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development), in particular Chapter 36 (Promoting Education, Public
Awareness and Training), also supported the need for formal and non-formal education and acknowledged the need for various countries to develop their own environmental education programs according to their own specific needs, policies and
responsibilities (Wright 2002; Walid and Luetz 2018).
Pro-environmental behaviour may be referred to as “conservation behaviors, environmentally friendly behaviors, environmentally significant behaviors, environmentally sustainable behaviors, and responsible environmental behaviors” (Osbaldiston
and Schott 2012, p. 258). Steg and Vlek (2009, p. 309) define pro-environmental
behaviour as that which “harms the environment as little as possible or even benefits
the environment.”
T. A. Raman and J. M. Luetz
education for human behaviour change in the area of sustainable development and
have distinguished two common approaches: The first conceives human behaviour
as either “predicated on knowledge of scientific facts, hard evidence and robust peer
reviewed information” (citing Boyes and Stanisstreet 2012) or as inherently “unpredictable and psychologically, socially, contextually and situationally constituted”
(citing Sapolsky 2017; Kelly and Barker 2016).
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental education
as:
A process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving,
and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible
decisions. (EPA 2016b, p. 1)
Since the early 1970s, a number of international declarations and fora have highlighted the role which environmental education can play in grappling with environmental problems including climate change. Of particular significance to the role of
education is the 1972 Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment “which
produced an immense sense of urgency about the environment and development
issues” (Greenall and Womersley 1977, p. 17).
The 1975 Belgrade Charter, as well as the preceding 1972 Stockholm Declaration, and the subsequent 1977 Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO 1978), are viewed as
the early beginnings of formal international environmental education initiatives and
stressed that “environmental education should be provided to people of all ages, all
levels of academic aptitude, and must be delivered in both formal and non-formal
environments” (Wright 2002, p. 204). The goals of environmental education included
in the Tbilisi Declaration were:
1. To foster clear awareness of, and concern about, economic, social, political and
ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas.
2. To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values,
attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment.
3. To create new patterns of behaviour of individuals, groups and society as a whole
towards the environment (UNESCO 1978, pp. 26–27).
Agenda 21 (an outcome of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development), in particular Chapter 36 (Promoting Education, Public
Awareness and Training), also supported the need for formal and non-formal education and acknowledged the need for various countries to develop their own environmental education programs according to their own specific needs, policies and
responsibilities (Wright 2002; Walid and Luetz 2018).
Pro-environmental behaviour may be referred to as “conservation behaviors, environmentally friendly behaviors, environmentally significant behaviors, environmentally sustainable behaviors, and responsible environmental behaviors” (Osbaldiston
and Schott 2012, p. 258). Steg and Vlek (2009, p. 309) define pro-environmental
behaviour as that which “harms the environment as little as possible or even benefits
the environment.”