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understanding. The understanding of an issue is a process that combines and embeds
personal, local, strategic and specialized contributions to knowledge. The green critics of science and knowledge confront heuristic understanding with rational science
responsible for environmental threats (Hay 2002).
This explains how knowledge is about knowing the facts and understanding is
about the insight and experience of how processes work and how the outcome can
change accordingly and how processes can make significant changes in individual
relationships to the environment. However, we argue that knowledge and understanding are both important and necessary for the development of potential
Environmental Citizenship in individuals. This line of thought is developed below,
under the heading of ‘types of knowledge’. You can teach a person but it still doesn’t
mean that a person is educated. Only when the acquired knowledge is applied as a
daily behavioural model can we say that it is understood and learned. More than to
know is necessary to understand, which the latter means knowledge + empathy.
Environmental sensitivity is a predisposition to taking an interest in learning about
environment, feeling a concern for it and acting to conserve it (Kollmuss and
Agyeman 2002). According to Chawla’s (1998) research, the most important experiences that define environmental sensitivity are childhood experiences in nature,
experiences of pro-environmental destruction, pro-environmental values held by the
family, pro-environmental organisations, role models (teachers or friends) and
education.
Since the 1980s, environmental education began to be part of citizen education
and path of convergence, and nowadays environmental education is often called
Education for Environmental Citizenship (Cao 2015). In order to exert environmental rights and perform environmental duties, citizens need to have an adequate
understanding of the environmental challenges and the acceptable ways of reducing
potential risks and harm (Valdivielso 2005). Therefore, education that focuses on
the development of environmental or ecological values, knowledge, skills and competences should be considered as an important factor in development of
Environmental Citizenship. Education for Environmental Citizenship needs integrated systems of knowledge which focus on the understanding of humanenvironment interactions and on the links between knowledge and actions for
sustainability (Ergen and Ergen 2011). The process of knowledge production and
how it is ‘used’ in Education for Environmental Citizenship makes the difference to
sustainability (Brosius 2006; Russ 2015). However, an increase in knowledge and
awareness does not necessarily lead to pro-environmental behaviour (Kollmuss and
Agyeman 2002). Environmental knowledge is a subcategory of environmental
awareness, and emotional involvement is what shapes environmental awareness and
attitude. There are many more factors that influence pro-environmental behaviour,
‘situational factors’ that include economic constraints, social pressures and opportunities to choose different actions – demographic-external factors (institutional,
economic, social, cultural) and internal factors (motivation, environmental knowledge, awareness, values, attitudes, emotion, locus of control, responsibilities,
priorities). Different models have been developed to explain pro-environmental
behaviour in its complexity (Kollmuss and Agyeman 2002).
M. Smederevac-Lalic et al.
understanding. The understanding of an issue is a process that combines and embeds
personal, local, strategic and specialized contributions to knowledge. The green critics of science and knowledge confront heuristic understanding with rational science
responsible for environmental threats (Hay 2002).
This explains how knowledge is about knowing the facts and understanding is
about the insight and experience of how processes work and how the outcome can
change accordingly and how processes can make significant changes in individual
relationships to the environment. However, we argue that knowledge and understanding are both important and necessary for the development of potential
Environmental Citizenship in individuals. This line of thought is developed below,
under the heading of ‘types of knowledge’. You can teach a person but it still doesn’t
mean that a person is educated. Only when the acquired knowledge is applied as a
daily behavioural model can we say that it is understood and learned. More than to
know is necessary to understand, which the latter means knowledge + empathy.
Environmental sensitivity is a predisposition to taking an interest in learning about
environment, feeling a concern for it and acting to conserve it (Kollmuss and
Agyeman 2002). According to Chawla’s (1998) research, the most important experiences that define environmental sensitivity are childhood experiences in nature,
experiences of pro-environmental destruction, pro-environmental values held by the
family, pro-environmental organisations, role models (teachers or friends) and
education.
Since the 1980s, environmental education began to be part of citizen education
and path of convergence, and nowadays environmental education is often called
Education for Environmental Citizenship (Cao 2015). In order to exert environmental rights and perform environmental duties, citizens need to have an adequate
understanding of the environmental challenges and the acceptable ways of reducing
potential risks and harm (Valdivielso 2005). Therefore, education that focuses on
the development of environmental or ecological values, knowledge, skills and competences should be considered as an important factor in development of
Environmental Citizenship. Education for Environmental Citizenship needs integrated systems of knowledge which focus on the understanding of humanenvironment interactions and on the links between knowledge and actions for
sustainability (Ergen and Ergen 2011). The process of knowledge production and
how it is ‘used’ in Education for Environmental Citizenship makes the difference to
sustainability (Brosius 2006; Russ 2015). However, an increase in knowledge and
awareness does not necessarily lead to pro-environmental behaviour (Kollmuss and
Agyeman 2002). Environmental knowledge is a subcategory of environmental
awareness, and emotional involvement is what shapes environmental awareness and
attitude. There are many more factors that influence pro-environmental behaviour,
‘situational factors’ that include economic constraints, social pressures and opportunities to choose different actions – demographic-external factors (institutional,
economic, social, cultural) and internal factors (motivation, environmental knowledge, awareness, values, attitudes, emotion, locus of control, responsibilities,
priorities). Different models have been developed to explain pro-environmental
behaviour in its complexity (Kollmuss and Agyeman 2002).
M. Smederevac-Lalic et al.