History of Environmental Communication
and Education
Christine Börtitz and Carsten Hobohm
“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to
change the world.”
(Nelson Mandela et al. 2012, p. 101)
“Education in environmental matters, for the younger
generation as well as adults, giving due consideration to the
underprivileged, is essential in order to broaden the basis for
an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by
individuals, enterprises and communities in protecting and
improving the environment in its full human dimension. It is
also essential that mass media of communications avoid
contributing to the deterioration of the environment, but, on
the contrary, disseminate information of an educational
nature on the need to protect and improve the environment in
order to enable man to develop in every respect.”
Principle 19 of the Stockholm Declaration of the United
Nations Conference on the Human Environment 1972 (United
Nations 1972, p. 5).
“Education can stimulate the learning process and help
children and people in general to make environmentally
responsible behaviour part of their everyday lives.”
(Gomis and Hesselink 1995, p. 29)
Abstract Communication about nature and the environment was important
throughout the history of humankind. Humans learned about their environment by
observation, by leaving adverse conditions or trying to overcome unfavourable
condition in the nature by practical solutions.
The exchange of information altered from oral to written and to digital, and from
local to global. As an important result, the available amount of information simply
C. Börtitz (*) · C. Hobohm
Department of Ecology and Environmental Education, University of Flensburg (EUF),
Flensburg, Germany
e-mail: christine.boertitz@uni-flensburg.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Hobohm (ed.), Perspectives for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Environmental
Challenges and Solutions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57710-0_3
43
and Education
Christine Börtitz and Carsten Hobohm
“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to
change the world.”
(Nelson Mandela et al. 2012, p. 101)
“Education in environmental matters, for the younger
generation as well as adults, giving due consideration to the
underprivileged, is essential in order to broaden the basis for
an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by
individuals, enterprises and communities in protecting and
improving the environment in its full human dimension. It is
also essential that mass media of communications avoid
contributing to the deterioration of the environment, but, on
the contrary, disseminate information of an educational
nature on the need to protect and improve the environment in
order to enable man to develop in every respect.”
Principle 19 of the Stockholm Declaration of the United
Nations Conference on the Human Environment 1972 (United
Nations 1972, p. 5).
“Education can stimulate the learning process and help
children and people in general to make environmentally
responsible behaviour part of their everyday lives.”
(Gomis and Hesselink 1995, p. 29)
Abstract Communication about nature and the environment was important
throughout the history of humankind. Humans learned about their environment by
observation, by leaving adverse conditions or trying to overcome unfavourable
condition in the nature by practical solutions.
The exchange of information altered from oral to written and to digital, and from
local to global. As an important result, the available amount of information simply
C. Börtitz (*) · C. Hobohm
Department of Ecology and Environmental Education, University of Flensburg (EUF),
Flensburg, Germany
e-mail: christine.boertitz@uni-flensburg.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Hobohm (ed.), Perspectives for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Environmental
Challenges and Solutions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57710-0_3
43