Environmental Education
| Environmental education is essential to UNEP in fulfilling its mandate of inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to overcome environmental problems and achieve sustainable development. The major environmental issues in North America are related to energy and climate change, freshwater stress, and urban sprawl. The region's growing economy and population contribute to these challenges.
Increasing domestic energy use is leading to new threats from air pollution, the potential for additional releases of oil to the environment, and negative impacts on biodiversity. Continuing urban sprawl and growing exurban development are leading to pressures on water quality, biodiversity, and air pollution. Excessive groundwater withdrawal and nutrient run-off are important problems. The effects of environmental impacts on human health are also an emerging issue.
Environmental education plays a critical role in addressing these concerns. Education promotes attitudes and values that influence environmentally ethical behavior by developing understanding, skills and values that enable people to participate as active and informed citizens who can contribute to the development of an ecologically sustainable and socially just society.
UNEP has a wide range of environmental information that can help to promote environmental education in North America. The menu on the left shows the most important issues in North America, as well as the priority areas defined in the UNEP's Mid-Term Strategy. The information presented has been extracted from the UNEP's Global Environment Outlook and the North America's Environment reports, as well as the UNEP Environmental Education and Training Website. A section with resources for environmental education is also included. |
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