Environmental Dimensions of Education for Sustainable Development. What is my vision of Education for Sustainable Development?
by Nick Symons, Director of Environmental Study Centre in Kritou Terra

Abbreviated version of the presentation made to a conference on a Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) organised by the University of Cyprus.

When I think about whether Education can really make a difference in the face of the global trends of environmental degradation I feel a bit small and helpless. It feels rather like a David and Goliath scenario. If we are to have any chance of succeeding in this battle we shall need - like David with his sling - to identify a precise target and remain clearly focused on it.

As the scope of ESD has inevitably and correctly become very broad, I feel drawn to remind us all that the focus of our attention and energies in ESD - at least in the short to medium term - needs to remain firmly on achieving environmental sustainability, otherwise we shall lose the battle. We all agree that sustainability has four indivisible dimensions: the biophysical, the economic, the social and the political.

We all agree that we need to address all of these dimensions of ESD because they are all inter-linked, so that the people we are educating are fully equipped to take on and deal with these issues as active local and global citizens. The question then arises of how we fine-tune the degree of emphasis and urgency that we give to each dimension of ESD, and logically that should reflect the importance that we give them in tackling the state of the world that exists on the ground. To focus our attention appropriately we need to ask ourselves "what are the consequences of failure in any one of these areas?" If we meet with significant success in our efforts (educational and otherwise) towards environmental sustainability, but leave important issues unresolved on the political, economic or social side, we know that we still have important work to do in promoting lively and fair economies, in creating peaceful, secure and fulfilling societies, or in establishing representative and participative democratic communities. If, however, we fail to make big strides towards environmental sustainability - then we can forget economic, social or political sustainability, because the fundamental life-support systems and resource base on which the other dimensions depend will be collapsing. Environmental sustainability - including the urgent curbing of climate change, protection of substantial areas with fully functional ecological systems, and protection and sustainable management of our key environmental resources - is a prerequisite of economic, social or political sustainability, and arguably of our very survival.

Of course we can argue that social justice and democratisation are essential prerequisites to progress on the environment, but even a cursory look around the globe does not support such a categorical view. If we were looking for a country as a shining example of one which has succeeded admirably in environmental protection and has kept many of its sustainable traditions of farming, energy and transport we might well choose Bhutan, an absolute monarchy ruled on the principle of Gross National Happiness! In contrast, some of the nations that demonstrate severe over consumption of resources and environmental destruction include some of the most free and democratic (Canada, USA) as well as some of the more extreme dictatorships (Burma, Gulf states).

My first message in short is that it is important through ESD to address ALL of the four dimensions of sustainability - AND that it is particularly important and particularly URGENT to ensure that we succeed in addressing the environmental dimension.

What is my personal vision for ESD? We all know what we are aiming for here, I believe. You of all people hardly need me to point it out. We are looking to produce new generations of well-informed, responsible, enquiring, creative and active citizens who feel a strong case of CONNECTION.

  • to the vast and growing body of knowledge and new solutions that we already have to enable us to solve environmental resource problems and to manage environmental systems;
  • to the society and community in which they live as active citizens;
  • to their sense of responsibility and empowerment that together provide them with the will and confidence to act;
  • to the political leadership that represents and serves them, not hesitating to make their views known through democratic channels.

When we feel connected to something, we recognise it as part of ourselves and see ourselves in it. Immediately we understand that when we take responsibility for that which we are connected to, we are taking responsibility for ourselves.

As educators in Cyprus what should be the specific focus of our efforts in ESD? First we need to embrace the concept of life-long learning, and target particularly those leaders of education, business and politics that are in a position to act decisively and quickly to change the situation. In Europe the IUCN has had considerable success in greening business simply by showing the film An Inconvenient Truth to the highest level leaders of industry. These leaders are people too! They have children and grandchildren, and are people used to acting intelligently and decisively.

Secondly we need to look at the formal education curriculum in Cyprus where are some important changes are needed.

  1. Basic education in the pre and primary schools needs to focus less on knowledge and more on equipping students with values (such as respect for other people and other species), with enquiring minds, with the capacity to question and challenge assumptions, and with confidence in their ability to innovate. Learning needs to be more participative, experiential and problem-based, and teaching less didactic.
  2. In secondary and tertiary education equipping children to deal with the challenges of environmental sustainability needs to be seen as a fundamental goal in the same way as literacy and numeracy are in primary education.
  3. The key subjects of Geography and Environmental Science need to be dramatically upgraded in the curriculum. Both of these are naturally holistic in their approaches and perfect vehicles for ESD concepts (including economic, political and social ones).
  4. Design and Technology needs to be recognised as a key opportunity to bring together scientific knowledge and creativity in a happy partnership, allowing students to exercise environmental problem-solving skills.
  5. Sustainable development needs to be established as a core area of concern to be addressed, discussed, explored and promoted across the whole curriculum. Even Physical education could play a role. Imagine for one moment a class of pupils on exercise bikes generating electricity for their school.