The Indian Context of Environmental Education for Sustainable Development

The United Nations conference on Human environment held at Stockholm in 1972 helped to focus attention on the dangers to human survival and quality of life posed by the continuous degradation of basic ecological assets. A better understanding of our environment is indispensable for its rational management because it would enable us to comprehend the environments resilience to mans action and the maximum potential it may offer for sustained development of mankind. Education is essential for generating widespread awareness of environmental problems. Awareness is essential for action (Swaminathan, 1982). Environmental education can contribute to the goal of sustainable development. With the advent of modern technologies and cut-throat globalcompetitionthereis rapid industrialization and urbanization. The setting up of heavy industries in developed and developing countries have created immense pressure on the vast ecosystem-The Earth as a whole, leading to an ecological imbalance in Nature. Man in his ever-growing quest of power and wealth has continuously degraded and depleted the natural resources since time immemorial. He is still unaware of the harm he is doing to himself which has become a serious threat to the entire human race. Thus, there is a severe urgency to overcome these ecological problems to attain sustainability. Identification of the challenges to environment quality and resource depletion emphasizes the need for grass-root environmental education to enlighten the common mass so as to support and implement sustainable resource conservation and environmental protection activities now and in the future. The societal well-being require aggressive awareness programme for the development of consciousness among the people regarding proper use of natural non-renewable resources in a sustainable way. Initiatives are taken for educating people about the environment, ecology and natural conservation by holding workshops and seminars with the use of educational resource materials. Environmental education is therefore an important strategy in addressing environmental problems faced by communities around the world.