Environmental Education: A Geographical Perspective

Abstract

Abstract Geography is an ideal disciplinary vehicle for environmental education; however, non-geographers are rarely aware of the vast geographic interest, research, and literature related to the environment. Geographers study the environment in four major ways: 1) the natural environment using scientific methods and techniques; 2) the impact of human behavior on the environment; 3) environmental influences on human behavior; and 4) the different cultural perceptions of the environment and how these perceptions are expressed in the surrounding landscape. Within these avenues of inquiry, geographers examine spatial patterns of environmentally related topics at different scales—local, regional, and global—and the interconnections of the global environment and economy. The future role of geography in environmental education is shaped by four current activities: the development of science and geography standards and assessment frameworks, the formulation of environmental literacy standards, and the creation of environmental education certification standards.