Abstract
Human impacts such as industrial activities and uncontrolled urbanization have intensified environmental degradation, harming global ecosystems and public health. In this context, several studies highlight the emergence of infectious zoonotic diseases which potentially lead to global pandemics. The current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates such a trend, as its origins are related to the mismanagement of natural habitats and wildlife. Thus, it is fundamental to effectively address the interacting factors that stimulate the outbreak of pandemics. The present research assesses how environmental degradation contributed to the COVID-19 emergence, and present Environmental Education as an essential tool to raise awareness on the interaction of environmental protection, ecology and public health. We analyze successful international initiatives that encourage Environmental Education, such as the United Nations’s Earth School, the Unesco’s Global Education Coalition and the Brazilian initiative Ame o Tucunduba. We conclude that promoting Environmental Education may play a vital role in tackling challenges such as global pandemics by improving sustainability, and thus may avoid future environmental and health threats.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Athman JA, Monroe MC (2001) Elements of effective environmental education programs. In: Fedler AJ (ed) Defining best practices in boating, fishing, and stewardship education. recreational boating & fishing foundation. Alexandria, VA
Badjanova J, Ilisko D (2015) Holistic approach as viewed by the basic school teachers in Latvia. Discourse Commun Sustain Educ 6:132–140. https://doi.org/10.1515/dcse-2015-0010
Bagoly-Simó P (2014) Tracing sustainability: Education for sustainable development in the lower secondary geography curricula of Germany, Romania, and Mexico. Int Res Geogr Environ Educ 23(2):126–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2014.908525
BBC – British Broadcast Corporation (2020a) Coronavirus: Retail sales crash in April as lockdown hits shops. Available in: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52766856. Access: 07/18/2020
BBC – British Broadcast Corporation (2020b) Coronavirus: wild animals enjoy freedom of a quieter world. Available in: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52459487. Access: 07/18/2020
Beena V, Saikumar G (2019) Emerging horizon for bat borne viral zoonoses. Virus Dis 30(321):328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13337-019-00548-z
Brazil Foundation (2020) Ame o Tucunduba. Available in: https://brazilfoundation.org/project/ame-o-tucunduba/?lang=pt-br. Access: 07/18/2020
Chatzifotiou A (2006) Environmental education, national curriculum and primary school teachers. Findings of a research study in England and possible implications upon education for sustainable development. Curriculum J 17(4):367–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585170601072478
Chen Y, Chen L, Deng Q et al (2020) The presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in feces of COVID-19 patients. J Med Virol. 92(7):833–840. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.25825
Cheng VCC, Lau SKP, Woo PCY, Yuen KY (2007) Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus as an agent of emerging and reemerging infection. Clin Microbiol Rev 2007:660–694. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00023-07
Corman V, Baldwin H, Tateno A et al (2015) Evidence for an ancestral association of human coronavirus 229E with bats. J Virol 89:11858–11870. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01755-15
Corman V, Muth D, Niemeyer D, Drosten C (2018) Hosts and sources of endemic human coronaviruses. Adv Virus Res 100:163–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aivir.2018.01.001
Cornell Lab Of Ornithology (2020) We believe in the power of birds to ignite discovery and inspire action. (2020) Available in: https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home. Access: 07/10/2020
COS—Center For Open Science (2020) Show your work, share your work, Advance your science (2020). Available in: https://www.cos.io/. Access: 07/18/2020
Dapcevitch M (2020) Multiple cougars seen wandering the streets of Santiago amid coronavirus lockdown. Available in: https://www.ecowatch.com/cougar-santiago-coronavirus-2645673513.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1. Access: 07/18/2020
Decaro N, Lorusso A (2020) Novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): a lesson from animal coronaviruses. Veterinary Biol 244:108693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108693
Dias F (2020) Sem turistas, onça se acostuma a ‘desfilar’ por passarela no Pantanal: duas vezes em cinco dias; VÍDEO. Available in: https://g1.globo.com/ms/mato-grosso-do-sul/noticia/2020/06/22/sem-turistas-onca-se-acostuma-a-desfilar-por-passarela-no-pantanal-duas-vezes-em-cinco-dias-video.ghtml?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=g1&fbclid=IwAR1okXHmyhBzC20NCVR8_iSYLN7LImZsmKZvF5rebkauFeKJVdl2nGkt2mE. Access: 05/20/2020
Disinger J (1985) Environmental education research news. Environmentalist 6(2):85–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277231
Fan Y, Zhao K, Shi Z-L, Zhou P (2019) Bat Coronaviruses in China. Viruses 11:210. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11030210
Global Health Academy (2019) ADVANZ: advocacy for neglected zoonotic diseases. Available in: https://www.ed.ac.uk/global-health/research/research-programmes/advanz. Access: 05/20/2020
Guarner J (2020) Three emerging coronaviruses in two decades. Am J Clin Pathol 153:420–421. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqaa029
Harzing A, vanderWal R (2008) Google scholar as a new source for citation analysis. Ethics Sci Environ Polit 8:61–73. https://doi.org/10.3354/esep00076
Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, Cao B (2020) Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The Lancet 395(10223):497–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30183-5
IGB—iGaming Business (2020) Italian Covid-19 lockdown forces Snaitech shops to close. Available in: https://www.igamingbusiness.com/news/italian-covid-19-lockdown-forces-snaitech-shops-close. Access: 05/20/2020
Iyengar R, Bajaj M (2011) After the smoke clears: toward education for sustainable development in Bhopal India. Comparative Educ Rev 55(3):424–456. https://doi.org/10.1086/660680
Jandu N (2020) Human activities are responsible for viruses crossing over from bats and causing pandemics like coronavirus. Available in: https://theconversation.com/human-activities-are-responsible-for-viruses-crossing-over-from-bats-and-causing-pandemics-like-coronavirus-134226. Access: 05/20/2020
Jones E (2020) Poland in COVID-19 lockdown! PM orders bars, restaurants, shopping centres and borders closed—and cancels ALL flights. Available in: https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/poland-in-covid-19-lockdown-pm-orders-bars-restaurants-shopping-centres-and-borders-closed---and-cancels-all-flights-11142. Access: 07/10/2020
Klein E, Merritt E (1994) Environment education as a model for constructivist teaching. J Environ Educ 25:14–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1994.9941953
Layrargues P, Lima G (2011) Mapeando as macro-tendências político-pedagógicas da educação ambiental contemporânea no Brasil. In: ENCONTRO PESQUISA EM EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL, 6. Anais. Universidade de São Paulo—Campus Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo
Leal Filho W, Pace P (2016) Teaching education for sustainable development: implications on learning programmes at higher education. In: Leal Filho W, Pace P (eds) Teaching Education for Sustainable Development at University Level. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32928-4_1
Lerman S (1989) Constructivism, mathematics, and mathematics education. Educ Stud Math 20(21):1–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00579463
Lorusso A, Calistri P, Petrini A, Savini G, Decaro N (2020) Novel coronavirus (SARSCoV-2) epidemic: a veterinary perspective. Vet Ital 56(1):5–10. https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.2173.11599.1
Mcintyre KM, Setzkorn C, Hepworth PJ, Morand S, Morse AP, Baylis M (2017) Systematic assessment of the climate sensitivity of important human and domestic animals pathogens in Europe. Sci Rep 7:7134. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-06948-9
McMahon BJ, Morand S, Gray JS (2018) Ecosystem change and zoonoses in the Anthropocene. Zoonoses Public Health 65:755–765. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12489
MMA—MINISTÉRIO DO MEIO AMBIENTE (2020). Conceitos de Educação Ambiental (2020). Available in: https://www.mma.gov.br/educacao-ambiental/pol%C3%ADtica-nacional-de-educa%C3%A7%C3%A3o-ambiental.html Access: 07/12/2020
Natter A (2020) U.S. Slashes Carbon Emissions Forecast as People Stay Home. Available in: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-07/u-s-slashes-carbon-emissions-forecast-as-people-stay-home. Access: 05/20/2020
Olival KJ, Hosseini PR, Zambrana-Torrelio C, Ross N, Bogich TL, Daszak P (2017) Host and viral traits predict zoonotic spillover from mammals. Nature 546:645–650. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22975
Orr D (1992) Ecological literacy: education and the transition to a postmoderm world. State University of New York Press, Albany, New York. ISBN:1438415214
Pereira CP, Vasconcellos Sobrinho M (2020) Direito à cidade na perspectiva paroara: concepções dos agentes do sistema de justiça do estado do Pará. Rev Direito Práx, Rio de Janeiro 11(1):493–534. https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-8966/2020/48192
Picheta R (2020) Himalayas for the first time in ‘decades,’ as the lockdown eases air pollution. Available in: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/himalayas-visible-lockdown-india-scli-intl/index.html. Access: 05/10/2020
Raikumar RP (2020) COVID-19 and mental health: a review of the existing literature. Asian J Psychiatry 52:102066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102066
Ribeiro MGC (2018) Expedição Tucunduba: Plano de comunicação mobilizadora para a reconexão com os rios da cidade. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Comunicação Social)—Faculdade de Comunicação. Universidade Federal do Pará. Belém, Pará, Brasil. 98p
Spironello R, Tavares F, Silva E (2012) Educação Ambiental: Da teoria à prática, em busca da sensibilização e conscientização ambiental. Revista Geonorte 3(4):140–152. https://doi.org/10.31692/2526-7701
Stapp WB (1969) The concept of environmental education. Environ Educ 1(1):30–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00139254.1969.10801479
Sterling S (2001) Sustainable education: re-visioning learning and change. Green Books, Bristol, UK. ISBN:1870098994
Svalfors U (2017) Education for sustainable development and multidimensional implementation. A study of implementations of sustainable development in education with the curriculum of upper secondary school in Sweden as an example. Discourse Commun Sustain Educ 8(2):114–126. https://doi.org/10.1515/dcse-2017-0020
Tilbury D (1995) Environmental education for sustainability: defining the new focus of environmental education in the 1990s. Environ Educ Res 1(2):195–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462950010206
UN Environment (2020a) Coronavirus outbreak highlights need to address threats to ecosystems and wildlife. Available in: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/coronavirus-outbreak-highlights-need-address-threats-ecosystems-and-wildlife. Access: 07/10/2020
UN Environment (2020b) Goal 4: quality education. Available in: https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/sustainable-development-goals/why-do-sustainable-development-goals-matter/goal-4. Access: 07/10/2020
UN Environment (2020c) Earth School (2020). Available in: https://www.unenvironment.org/explore-topics/education-environment/what-we-do/earth-school. Access: 07/10/2020
UNECE (2005) UNECE Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development. Adopted at the High-Level Meeting of Environment and Education Ministries (Vilnius, 17–18 Mar 2005). Available in: https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/documents/2005/cep/ac.13/cep.ac.13.2005.3.rev.1.e.pdf. Acess: 07/10/2020
UNEP (2016) UNEP frontiers 2016 report: emerging issues of environmental concern. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. ISBN:978-92-807-3553-6
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2020). Available in: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/globalcoalition. Access: 07/10/2020
Watts J, Kommenda N (2020) Coronavirus pandemic leading to huge drop in air pollution. Available in: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/23/coronavirus-pandemic-leading-to-huge-drop-in-air-pollution. Access: 05/20/2020
WHO - World Health Organization (2020a) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-2019): Situation Report 32. Available in: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200221-sitrep-32-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=4802d089_2. Access: 04/05/2020
WHO – World Health Organization (2020b) Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Available in: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019. Access: 05/20/2020
WHO—World Health Organization (2020c) Looking after our mental health. Available in: https://www.who.int/campaigns/connecting-the-world-to-combat-coronavirus/healthyathome/healthyathome-mental-health. Access: 05/20/2020
Wilson N, Lush D, Baker MG (2010) Meteorological and climate change themes at the 2010 international conference on emerging infectious diseases. Eurosurveillance 15(30):1471–1481. PMID: 20684812
Woo PC, Lau SK, Yuen K (2006) Infectious diseases emerging from Chinese wet-markets: zoonotic origins of severe respiratory viral infections. Curr Opin Infect Dis 19(5):401–407. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.qco.0000244043.08264.fc
World Wide Fund – WWF (2018) Living Planet Report 2018 (2018) Available in: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/living-planet-report-2018. Access: 07/102020
Wright R (2020) There’s an unlikely beneficiary of coronavirus: the planet. Available in: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/16/asia/china-pollution-coronavirus-hnk-intl/index.html. Access: 05/20/2020
Yang L (2020) Don’t blame bats for COVID-19. Blame Humans. Available in: https://earth.org/bats-importance-dont-blame-bats-for-coronavirus-blame-humans/. Access: 05/20/2020
Yeo C, Kaushal S, Yeo D (2020) Enteric involvement of coronaviruses: is faecal–oral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 possible? The Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 5(4):335–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-1253(20)30048-0
Zhody S, Schwartz T, Oaks J (2019) The coevolution effect as a driver of spillover. Trends Parasitol 35(6):399–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2019.03.010
Zsóka A, Szerényi Z, Széchy A, Kocsis T (2013) Greening due to environmental education? Environmental knowledge, attitudes, consumer behavior and everyday pro-environmental activities of Hungarian high school and university students. J Clean Prod 48(2013):126–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.11.030
Zygmunt T (2016) Language education for sustainable development. Discourse Commun Sustain Educ 7(1):112–124. https://doi.org/10.1515/dcse-2016-0008
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cruz, T.L., Pinto, P.I.M., Ferreira, A.H.J. (2021). Environmental Education as a Tool to Improve Sustainability and Promote Global Health: Lessons from the COVID-19 to Avoid Other Pandemics. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) COVID-19: Paving the Way for a More Sustainable World. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69284-1_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69284-1_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69283-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-69284-1
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)