Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably.

The word 'Environment' is derived from the French word 'Environner' which means to encircle, around or surround. The biologist Jacob Van Uerkal (1864-1944) introduced the term 'environment' in Ecology. Ecology is the study of the interactions between an organism of some kind and its environment. As given by Environment Protection Act 1986, Environment is the sum total of land, water, air, interrelationships among themselves and also with the human beings and other living organisms. Environmental Science is the interdisciplinary field and requires the study of the interactions among the physical, chemical and biological components of the Environment with a focus on environmental pollution and degradation.

This book explores the field of environmental studies emphasizing its multidisciplinary nature. It looks at the fundamentals of environmental conservation and the management of sensitive ecosystems. The book provides an overview of the basic concepts used to understand and study diverse ecosystems and their functions as well as the progressively larger yet mutually inclusive units, such as the landscape and the biome. It examines the challenges towards preserving biodiversity which is under severe threat due to climate change, exploitation of natural resources, pollution, and man-made disasters. Besides outlining the causes and effects, the authors outline control mechanisms to keep pollution within safe limits and offer suggestions for resolving issues such as wildlife poaching and trade, water and air pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss through policy changes. This book will be of interest to the students, researchers, teachers of environmental studies, environmental science, sociology, political science, and public administration. This book will also be useful to environmentalists, wildlife conservationists, and policy makers.

The book deals with recent trends in Environmental Education and its relevance in different countries and stream of studies. The chapters have extensively elaborated the Indian and international legal provisions and policies for the preservation and protection of environment and ecosystem. The book has five broad sections and twenty three chapters contributed by the subject experts in the field to discuss: Primary introduction to the Environmental education and the case studies from the teacher education programmes, higher education and school education. Thorough scrutiny of environmental issues and concerns through the discussion of Conservation of Environment and Ecosystem; Global Environmental Problems and Pollution; extinction of flora and fauna, deforestation, soil erosion; impact of disasters acting upon the environment; and policies and initiatives in India and international fora. Recent trends in Environmental Education explaining Eco-psychology and Eco-feminism with social pollution; sustainability for pro-environmental behavior; life-style; environmental attitude. Sustainable development with its conceptual note, literature, guiding principles, initiatives by Indian and international organizations; draft regulations and effect on livelihoods. Pedagogy of teaching environmental education; teaching strategies, approaches and methods; programmes laid for different levels of education in India; and Curriculum and volume of units at different grades in school; professional development in and through environmental education. The book is intended for the students of Teacher Education Programmes, i.e., B.Ed and M.Ed, for all the Indian Universities across India and overseas. The articles are written in line with NCTE guidelines and National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE) 2010.

"This book helps educators who use the outdoors as a learning setting. It presents teaching methods for people who teach in schools, nature centers, adventure centers, camps, environmental learning centers, government agencies, and universities. These methods apply to many subject areas such as physical education, science education, environmental studies, and recreation"--

In the summer of 1999, an international group of experts convened in Jerusalem, Israel, in order to define the major environmental challenges facing humanity at the dawn of the new millennium and - where possible - propose ways of addressing them. Almost 50 selected articles are collected in the present book, which constitutes a striking interdisciplinary combination of state-of-the-art science with the latest views on environmental law, education, and international cooperation. Whilst a major fraction of the book is devoted to water-related issues (water quality monitoring, water and wastewater treatment, water-based international cooperation, and more), other sections deal with timely topics relating to air pollution, biodiversity, conservation, and education. The book is intended for environmental scientists, professionals, and students of all disciplines.

This volume seeks to broaden current ideas about the role of critical thinking (CT) in biology and environmental education considering educational challenges in the post-truth era. The chapters are distributed into three sections, perspectives of a theoretical character (part I), empirical research about CT in the context of biology and health education (part II), and empirical research on CT in the context of environmental and sustainability education (part III). The volume includes studies reporting students’ engagement in the practice of critical thinking, and displays how CT can be integrated in biology and environmental education and why biology and environmental issues are privileged contexts for the development of CT. The chapters examine a range of dimensions of CT, such as skills, dispositions, emotions, agency, open-mindedness, or personal epistemologies. In addition, they explore topics such as climate change, sustainable diets, genetically modified food, vaccination, acceptance of evolution, homeopathy, and gene cloning. Concluding remarks regarding the connections between the chapters and future directions for the integration of critical thinking in biology and environmental education are presented in a final chapter.