In the beginning of 1860s John Tyndall was discovered Carbon dioxide's heat-trapping properties (Chivers, D. 2011). From that time scientists from educational, political and philosophical ideologies fields have been appeared with different points of view Hicks, D. (2007). Some of those scientists are requesting urgent support to climate change situation Chivers, D. (2011). While on the other hand another advocates minimize the importance of climate change situation Chivers, D. (2011). These conflicts have made an increasing number of debates between scientists. This caused born of new studies, articles, researches and approach called sustainability education. (Thomas et al. (2007) sighted in Hicks, D. (2007). The relationship between recent debates on climate change and sustainability education is quite complicated. In this essay, I will examine the relationship educationally between the sustainability education and recent debates on climate change into two stages. Firstly, I will examine the influence of recent debates on climate change on sustainability education. Then, I will mention the effects of sustainability education on recent debates.
These recent debates on climate change have made huge effects on sustainability education. And here I will examine the educational face only, but firstly; I will define the sustainability education. Sustainability means education for sustainable development enables pupils to develop the knowledge, skills, understanding and values to participate in decisions about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future. There are opportunities for pupils to develop their unde...
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References:
1. Tyndall, J (1861), ‘On the absorption and radiation of heat by gases and vapors, and on the physical connexion of radiation, absorption, and conduction’ Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Vol 151, Part I.
2. Chivers, D. (2011) ‘Switching off denial: A guide’ in New Internationalist, 442, May, pp14-21. Link: http://www.newint.org/features/2011/05/01/guide-to-climate-change-denial-debunking-climate-skeptic-myths/
3. Hegarty, K. et al (2011) Insights into the value of a ‘stand‐alone’ course for sustainability education in Environmental Education Research, 17:4, 451-469. Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2010.547931
4. Hicks, D. (2007) Education for sustainability: how should we deal with climate change 29 July 2011, pp1-10 Link: http://www.teaching4abetterworld.co.uk/docs/download4.pdf
The two essays by Michael Pollan and Curtis white talk about climate change in regards to the relationship between the environment and human beings. Although the two essays share the same topic, they take the subject and engage the readers in totally different points of views. Pollan’s essay talks about global and ecological responsibility being a personal virtue while Curtis discusses the socio-economic or political issues underlying sustainability (Pollan; White). These two essays are very different in terms of voice; however these pieces of writing are both important for people all over the world to read. Climate change and environmental disasters are a real issue. Just this year, there have been more storms, cyclones, earthquakes and typhoons all over the world. One cannot look at the state of many developing counties where the majority of the population is exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This issue on developing a viable solution for the problem of anthropogenic gases and global warming is long from being found. Not only this, many people do not want to hear about this issue since they do not think it is real. Unless people have tangible proof that their cars, thermostats and aerosol cans are contributing to climate change, they are not going to give up their lifestyles. By synthesizing the two essays, one can see that there is a need for change and that it is not an issue which should be dealt with in terms of ecological factors or even personal virtue. The social, economic and political factors affecting this problem and the move towards real sustainability should also be a topic that will raise awareness.
An ideal green citizen lives a normal life while making sustainable choices. However, Ecotopia and the United States’ educational systems do not contrive their students to achieve such ideals. In an Ecotopian school, students learn about the Earth but are not educated about other subjects. Vice versa, in American schools, students learn all subjects but none specific to sustainability. To ultimately prepare the youth for the future, there is a need of equilibrium of both systems in which students are educated in all subjects with knowledge of the eco-system. Having a well-rounded education with specificity of sustainability, students can adjudicate their own “green” ideals and act upon them in which they are able to establish new solution to unsustainable issues.
As a part of the youth engagement plan they chose over 500 students from 25 Canadian high schools to investigate and research on the impacts of climate change in different communities. Their presentations focused mainly on three topics, greening our energy supply, accelerating sustainable transportation and reducing waste.
Beginning with our current and so far to what we have read the topics about biophilia, sustainable urban development, and that of sustainable transport, I can say I have so far learned more comprehensively about sustainability and the subsequent movement back toward a semblance of biophilia, then I have from all my previous schooling. Taking into account how many years it has been since that I’ve had to learn/relearn and also that of the generational gap of information encompassing these given topics, and with my knowledge (and/or lack thereof) may be sparse in consistency there certainly is a lack of usable knowledge from that of when I was in the earlier years (to ease confusion this refers to the levels of k-12) of schooling and that of the known usable knowledge now. To start this essay I will talk about the influences that were/are important in my education, what has/is the primary source to shape my education, and my past/present educational experiences.
For these reasons, global warming stands as one of the most daunting policy issues facing our world today. This is compounded by the debate over the very existence of climate change. While countless sources of empirical evidence testify to the very real presence of climate change the world over, considerable denial of the phenomenon still exists. The argument has been made that evidence about climate change is a gross overstatement, or in some cases, a complete fabrication. Despite the evidence to the contrary, many interest groups with considerable political clout have successfully perpetuated the argument that documented changes in the environment are a product of natural cyclical changes in climate, and are not associated with human activities. However, even the acceptance of this particular brand of reality is no grounds for the disregard of environmental consciousness. Even if one accepts the premise that recent climate change is not resultant of human activity, the rationale behind environmental conservation remains ...
Humans have been destroying the planet since we were able to stand on two legs. As a society, we need to work to reverse these terrible effects that our existence has on the planet. Sustainability is one way to begin reversing these effects, while still living our daily lives. In 2006, Al Gore presented his documentary, “ An Inconvenient Truth”, as a way to show the world the evidence behind global warming, climate change and the destruction of our planet. This documentary shocked the world. It was clear that changes needed to be made, but the destruction was more intense than previously thought. SInce this revelation in 2006, companies have tried to cut down on their greenhouse emissions, as well as offered sustainable products to their customers. Through a debate of morals and
The concept of sustainability derives from principles grounded in developing and maintaining a harmonious environment, society, and economy. Regardless of the discipline, these three areas must be the focus of concentration, as they are not mutually exclusive of one another. Above all, education must be recognized as the chief factor in achieving sustainability. Dr. Rosalyn McKeown’s Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit is based on the notion that success depends on a community’s willingness and ability to integrate education with sustainable efforts. Given the length of Dr. McKeown’s toolkit, it is virtually impossible for this writer to diffuse every detailed point. However, one is able to dissect key concepts deemed appropriate to teaching sustainability in the context of health education.
Mastrandrea, Michael D. "Global warming." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Thesis: Learning about the Climate Change will help us better understand pollution in the world.
Williams, Laurence O. An End to Global Warming. Ohio: Pergamno, 2012. Web 13 May 2015
Although more people are aware of the impacts we have on our environment, there are still people that choose to ignore scientific evidence, or do not fully understand the consequences. Further education and research are critical components in an effort to become more sustainable. Fortunately, younger generations are learning about the need to address environmental issues so that changes can be made to ensure our way of life is sustainable.
Climate change has been an extremely controversial topic in recent history and continues to create much debate today. Many questions concerning climate change’s origins and its potential affect on the globe are not fully understood and remain unanswered. What is climate change? Is climate change happening? Is it a natural cycle of the world or are there other catalysts involved such as human activity? What proof is there? What data correlations show climate change is accelerated by humans? How serious is climate change and how will it affect the future of our globe? What are we doing to address climate change? Should we really be concerned about climate change? Questions such as these have made climate change a very serious issue in today’s world and created the ideology of climatism. The issue of climate change has affected many different aspects of our lives and the world we live in. Policymaking, human activism, technologies, emission control, global warming, alternative energy sources and many other things have been greatly affected by the mania of climate change. This research report will present climate change in a light of common sense and rationality that will take a grounded discussion of the science behind climate change, global warming, human activity, and how the ideology of climatism has corrupted and driven the actions to combat climate change.
Thus, it is essential for graduates to understand and to have the capability to cope with various environmental challenges that we are facing today. For university students, most of their knowledge about sustainability is obtained from lectures. Whereas, Winter and Cotton (2012) illustrate that learning solely about sustainability is insufficient and that sustainability literacy must take into consideration students’ attitudes and dispositions in order to develop their strategies for reasoned decision-making. In addition, Winter and Cotton (2012) point out that the limitations posed by academic attitudes and disciplinary silos hinder the embedding of sustainability literacy in the formal curriculum. Therefore, if universities want to cultivate more students with sustainability literacy, then they need to focus on constructing more sustainable
Global Warming One of the most substantial problems in the world today is global warming. This gradual warming of the earth is in occurrence at an extremely slow rate but it is happening. Many scientists believe that as human’s work and release greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere, it can become dangerous for the long lasting life of humans and our environment. “Unless we take immediate action, the impacts of global warming will continue to intensify, grow ever more costly and damaging, and increasingly affect the entire planet - including you, your community, and your family” (“Global Warming Impacts”).
Sustainability development has three components: environment, society, and economy. If you consider the three to be overlapping circles of the same size, the area of overlap in the center is human well-being. As the environment, society, and economy become more aligned, the area of overlap increases, and so does human well-being. Therefore, education for sustainable development (ESD) is the use of education as a tool to achieve sustainability. Simply put, ESD is a way to make the world a safer, healthier, and more livable place for us and future generations (McKeown, 2002, pgs 7-9).