Why we need environmental literacy?

“An environmentally literate person is someone who, both individually and together with others, makes informed decisions concerning the environment; is willing to act on these decisions to improve the wellbeing of other individuals, societies, and global environment; and participates in civic life.”

The growth of the human population and the increasing power of our technology means that we are no longer just one of several million species inhabiting this planet. We are now an active agent of physical, chemical, biological and geological change. Our burning of fossil fuels has changed the capacity of the atmosphere to trap heat and so changed the climate [IPCC 2001].

As the population increases, the need for food, clean water, fuel, and space will increase and this means that inevitable increase in the demand on the world’s natural resources that causes resource depletion and more consuming. The purpose of improving environmental literacy is to prepare people to understand and address such issues. Only an environmentally literate public will be able to find workable, evidence-based solutions for these challenges.

With this immense need, integrating environmental education into schools across the Europe and develop an environmentally literate population that is able to solve the environmental and social challenges we will face this century is one of the best solutions to activate the society by leading young individuals to be environmentally literate and environment conscious. Recognizing the importance of environmental literacy, the Eco-Smart project aims to advance the integration of environmental education in schools throughout the Europe. Frameworks for environment literacy include affective, knowledge, cognitive skills, and behavioural components that supports further learning and new behaviours.