of 30 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean include a focus on the environment at some level in primary school curricula.
Quito, 27 January 2023 A new tool aimed at reinforcing environmental education and was launched today by The Environmental Education Network, an intergovernmental platform of environmental education in Latin America. The Environmental Education Resources Guide is launched as part of Ecuadors Environmental Education Week, organized by its Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The objective of the guide is to support primary school teachers and environmental educators with reference materials on the integration of environmental themes and concepts in formal and non-formal educational systems. The guide includes ten environmental thematic chapters: climate change, environmental education, water, air, soil, energy, sustainable consumption, biodiversity, waste management, and ecosystem restoration.
It is our responsibility to take the first step to strengthen and adapt the processes of environmental education to our local reality. This will undoubtedly contribute to the active involvement of present and future generations in the protection and conservation of the environment," said scar Rojas, Vice-minister for Water at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador.
Addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss requires informing citizens and the young generation of the issues and available choices. To do so, investment in environmental education programmes, training and adaptable resources for teachers and trainers are key as they support the frontline of change in schools and communities.
Despite increased global awareness of the climate, nature and pollution crisis and its impacts on society, this is not leading to transformational action and changes in behavior. This operational guide will improve the mindsets and skillsets so that nature and its linkages to sustainable development goals are increasingly mainstreamed into formal and non-formal education systems, said Tomas Declercq, a UNEP Sustainable Consumption and Production and Consumer Information Officer and Coordinator of the Environmental Training Network.
Throughout 2023, UNEP and country members of the Network will conduct subregional workshops with teachers and civil society facilitators to support the integration of environmental education into formal and non-formal education systems.
