Blog 8 – ‘United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.’
In this ever changing world education for sustainable development seems like an increasingly bright idea. If we are going to make a difference and protect our planet for future generations now is the time to start. The United Nations have already set out their goal;
‘...to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. This educational effort will encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations.'
The United Nations have eight key action themes that they feel are a vital part of the goal. They want to pursue gender equality so that all members of society will respect each other and play roles which can fulfil their potential. Health is another important issue. If people are ill it hampers economic and social development.
‘Education and basic medical information are powerful ways to drive behavioural change.’
The UN wants people to behave responsibly and respect the environment as this lies at the core of education for sustainable development. Of course the environment covers a wide range of themes, such as water, climate change, biodiversity and disaster prevention, all of which need to be addressed. Rural development needs to be addressed, along with education and training in rural poverty and ensuring sustainable development in rural areas. We need to respect different cultural diversities and make sure education takes this into account when teaching about sustainable development.
Peace and security are also and important aspect of the UN’s goal. People require these basic needs in order to develop. Sustainable development of cultures that feel insecure or are experiencing conflict can be endangered and is not always a high priority when lives are at risk. Cities also play an important role in sustainable development. With half the world’s population now living in cities it has never been so important to try and reduce the urban threats that cities potentially play in sustainable development.
And lastly sustainable consumption, as I have mentioned in many of my previous blogs, plays a key role in sustainable development. We need to think about what we are consuming as this will ultimately impact the way in which people live their lives tomorrow. We need to try and harm the environment as little as possible and reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill.
Education for sustainable development has never been as valuable as it is right now. We need to change people’s attitudes and behaviour so that we can create a more sustainable future for generations to come. If we do not start trying to change the attitudes of the younger generations now, we will leave it too late and the damage will already be done.
Haigh (2005) has already said that Geography is the best place to deliver the sustainable development curriculum. I agree with this statement as it seems logical that a subject that already looks at humans and the environment should focus on the issues of sustainable development. Sustainable development is already one of the key geographical concepts that underpins geography. Studying sustainable development in geography can incorporate environmental, social and economic issues. Human geography engages directly with sustainable development as human geography already seeks to understand the interaction of complex economic, social and environmental processes. Geography also tries not to promote any particular view or solution to the problem. It is interested in opening students minds to sustainable development and ways of thinking constructively about it.
However I do not feel that geography is the only place where sustainable development should be taught. Issues surrounding sustainable development could also be touched on in science lessons, such as biology and chemistry as issues to do with green house gasses, biodiversity and ecology may be better understood by some students studying these subjects.
So far on my BSc Geography degree I have really enjoyed this module concerned with sustainable development issues. There have been some really interesting topics covered, such as the UN style debate, the Universities Green Travel Plan and much more. I personally feel this module is a very important part of the course and I am able to incorporate the knowledge I have gained from this module into many other modules I am studying, which just goes to prove that sustainable development really is at the heart of geography.
4 comments:
I agree with most of your comments about how sustainability should be included in the curriculum. In particular I agree with your view that it should be taught across more subjects than geography. How can the message be spread evenly across society when after the age of 14 children have the option of dropping the geography? By spreading across more subjects there is more chance of people learning about the issues.
Which aspects of the module have you found most interesting/surprising to date? Do you think that students other than geographers should be encouraged to take the module?
I agree with the fact the idea of sustainability should be taught in subject such as Science, and also how Geography keeps peoples minds open about the topic of sustainability rather than giving a right or wrong answer.
At what age, do you think teaching about sustainable development should start at?
Post a Comment