The term environmental education appeared for the first time in official documents of multilateral organizations in 1972, starting with the Stockholm Conference.[18]​[1]​ Principle 19 of the Stockholm Declaration established that:[19]​.

In 1975, UNESCO and UNEP organized the International Seminar on Environmental Education in Belgrade. There arose the Belgrade Charter, which established objectives, goals and strategies to achieve the objectives of environmental education.[18]​ In addition, it defined that environmental education should be accessible to the general public, including non-formal education among its recipients.[18]​ The Belgrade Charter determined that environmental education was a “tool that will contribute to the formation of a new universal ethic that recognizes the relationships of man with nature; the need for transformations in national policies, towards an equitable distribution of world reserves and the satisfaction of the needs of all countries. "[9]​ The Belgrade Charter established that the goal of environmental education is:

Two years later, in 1977, UNESCO and UNEP convened the First Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, from which the Tbilisi Declaration emerged. The Tbilisi Declaration updates and clarifies the Stockholm declaration and the Belgrade Charter by including new purposes and objectives, characteristics and guiding principles of environmental education. It is agreed to incorporate environmental education into the educational system like any other subject and international cooperation regarding this issue. The objective is not only awareness but also fully active participation.[21]​.

In 2017, Resolution 72/222 of the United Nations General Assembly[22]​ recognized ESD as an integral element of the SDGs of quality education, and reaffirmed the role of UNESCO as the governing body of ESD.[23]​.

At the 40th Meeting of the General Conference of UNESCO, the new framework on Education for Sustainable Development was approved: towards the achievement of the SDGs “ESD for 2030 (2020-2030)”, recognized by the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations through its Resolution 74/233.[24]​.

The new framework is based on the Global Program of Action (GAP)&action=edit&redlink=1 "Global Program of Action (GAP) (not yet drafted)") for ESD (2015-2019), which followed the United Nations Decade for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), and focused on optimizing ESD in the context of the 2030 Agenda to achieve the Development Goals Sustainable in the next ten years.[25]​.

UNESCO developed a roadmap that provides guidance to Member States and other stakeholders towards achieving ESD by 2030.[26]​[27]​.

Taking into account the Belgrade Charter, made in October 1975, the Objectives of Environmental Education worldwide are the following:[9]​.

Other government agencies have taken these objectives and summarized or adapted them as they see fit. For example, the United States Environmental Protection Agency defines the objectives of environmental education as awareness and sensitivity, knowledge and understanding, attitudes, skills and participation.[28]​.

Green citizenship is an approach that seeks to empower individuals, especially children and young people, to acquire the knowledge, values ​​and skills necessary to act in favor of the environment. This approach allows students to become agents of change in the face of the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.[33]​[34]​[35]​.

Education has a central role in three key areas to move towards a decarbonized economy that is resilient to climate change. First, it must provide students with the scientific knowledge necessary to understand the climate crisis and biodiversity. Second, schools must ensure continuity of learning even during extreme weather events. Finally, educational institutions must adopt sustainable practices in their infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.[36]​[37]​.

The development of green citizenship involves the strengthening of three fundamental dimensions in students:[33]​[36]​.

Green citizenship is also linked to the development of technical skills that prepare young people for green jobs. The transition to a sustainable economy requires that education systems, particularly those in technical and higher education, coordinate with national decarbonization strategies to ensure that students are prepared to take advantage of emerging job opportunities.[36]​[35]​.

Educational institutions can be a living example of sustainable practices, using green infrastructure and resources such as solar panels and school gardens. These initiatives allow for an experiential educational experience, connecting theoretical learning with daily practice, and reinforce the development of skills for green citizenship. In addition, it is important to measure the progress of students in the development of these competencies, using instruments that allow them to evaluate their knowledge, values ​​and behaviors regarding sustainability.[36]​Through these interventions, environmental education can train future green citizens, capable of adapting and leading in a world that faces increasing environmental challenges.[33][36][35]​.

school gardens

School gardens became an excellent teaching resource for both rural and urban schools. Promoting care for the environment, self-sustainable food, collective work, community service, waste reduction by building compost bins, etc.[38]​[39]​.

Some Latin American countries, such as Chile, include them in their educational policy.[40]​.

The production of healthy foods rescues ancestral knowledge of culture linked to scientific knowledge, giving us the possibility of bringing students closer to sustainable productive strategies that rescue the potential of nature itself.[41]​.

Environmental problems are increasingly present in our society. Educational centers are a perfect setting to address environmental training and thus be able to develop a critical spirit that makes them face these problems and propose effective solutions. Thus, educational contexts are echoing this demand and programs are being developed aimed at promoting environmental and sustainable awareness in students[42]​[43]​.

Cinema and documentaries

One of the options that has been most insisted upon to try to raise awareness among youth is to do so through cinema.

Another tool that helps environmental education would be music since through this means different messages can be transmitted not only to students and young people, but also to people of different ages, so that in this way they can understand the importance of caring for the environment. Since our actions will have consequences in the not too distant future.

Commerce and the management of various advertising campaigns promote environmental education as they promote the acquisition of ecological values, promoting recycling and implementing conservation campaigns.[44]​[45]​.

In Mexico, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), on its website, has published several documentaries on the subject, which show the importance of caring for the environment and promote the culture of the three Rs (3R's) reduce, reuse and recycle.[46]​.

Problem solving is one of the techniques used in environmental education:

For these authors, the key to success in solving problems is organization. In this organization they seek the cooperation of other people, inside and outside the school framework. The program is designed to promote the school curriculum and establishes a kind of bridge between it and the environment close to the center, incorporating problem topics that must be resolved following the sequence indicated above.[49]​.

The circumstances that must occur to achieve environmental education require the development of a project, program or plan. Planning in the field of Environmental Education is limited to the level of a program.[50]​ The environmental education program that was developed is both useful for formal and non-formal education. Furthermore, they adjust to a model valid for all levels of the school system, for all types of students, levels of education, classes and all types of program objectives. For the implementation of an efficient environmental education program, the following is required:

The order of presentation of the assigned concepts, knowledge and skills must be in accordance with the public to which the information is transferred. This is because the knowledge and attitudes of a primary school student are not the same as those of a secondary school student, so the environmental education program seeks to bring the appropriate information to the appropriate public in an orderly manner.

The thematic development of environmental education can be divided into 4 levels, which also correspond to the degree of complexity, which depends on the public to be treated. These levels are:

In Argentina

Yolanda Law includes all public employees of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of the Nation.[58]​.

Comprehensive Environmental Education Law, promote environmental education and incorporate new paradigms of sustainability into the areas of formal, non-formal and informal education.[59]​.

In Chile

Law 19,300 defines environmental education as a "permanent process of an interdisciplinary nature, aimed at the formation of a citizenry that recognizes values, clarifies concepts and develops the skills and attitudes necessary for a harmonious coexistence between human beings, their culture and their surrounding bio-physical environment" (Art. 2, letter h).[60]​.

In Venezuela

The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela established in 1999 the mandatory nature of environmental education at all educational levels: "Article 107: Environmental education is mandatory at the levels and modalities of the educational system, as well as in non-formal citizen education." Likewise, it established a series of environmental rights, among them, the right to live in a healthy environment. [61]​.

The term environmental education appeared for the first time in official documents of multilateral organizations in 1972, starting with the Stockholm Conference.[18]​[1]​ Principle 19 of the Stockholm Declaration established that:[19]​.

In 1975, UNESCO and UNEP organized the International Seminar on Environmental Education in Belgrade. There arose the Belgrade Charter, which established objectives, goals and strategies to achieve the objectives of environmental education.[18]​ In addition, it defined that environmental education should be accessible to the general public, including non-formal education among its recipients.[18]​ The Belgrade Charter determined that environmental education was a “tool that will contribute to the formation of a new universal ethic that recognizes the relationships of man with nature; the need for transformations in national policies, towards an equitable distribution of world reserves and the satisfaction of the needs of all countries. "[9]​ The Belgrade Charter established that the goal of environmental education is:

Two years later, in 1977, UNESCO and UNEP convened the First Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, from which the Tbilisi Declaration emerged. The Tbilisi Declaration updates and clarifies the Stockholm declaration and the Belgrade Charter by including new purposes and objectives, characteristics and guiding principles of environmental education. It is agreed to incorporate environmental education into the educational system like any other subject and international cooperation regarding this issue. The objective is not only awareness but also fully active participation.[21]​.

In 2017, Resolution 72/222 of the United Nations General Assembly[22]​ recognized ESD as an integral element of the SDGs of quality education, and reaffirmed the role of UNESCO as the governing body of ESD.[23]​.

At the 40th Meeting of the General Conference of UNESCO, the new framework on Education for Sustainable Development was approved: towards the achievement of the SDGs “ESD for 2030 (2020-2030)”, recognized by the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations through its Resolution 74/233.[24]​.

The new framework is based on the Global Program of Action (GAP)&action=edit&redlink=1 "Global Program of Action (GAP) (not yet drafted)") for ESD (2015-2019), which followed the United Nations Decade for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), and focused on optimizing ESD in the context of the 2030 Agenda to achieve the Development Goals Sustainable in the next ten years.[25]​.

UNESCO developed a roadmap that provides guidance to Member States and other stakeholders towards achieving ESD by 2030.[26]​[27]​.

Taking into account the Belgrade Charter, made in October 1975, the Objectives of Environmental Education worldwide are the following:[9]​.

Other government agencies have taken these objectives and summarized or adapted them as they see fit. For example, the United States Environmental Protection Agency defines the objectives of environmental education as awareness and sensitivity, knowledge and understanding, attitudes, skills and participation.[28]​.

Green citizenship is an approach that seeks to empower individuals, especially children and young people, to acquire the knowledge, values ​​and skills necessary to act in favor of the environment. This approach allows students to become agents of change in the face of the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.[33]​[34]​[35]​.

Education has a central role in three key areas to move towards a decarbonized economy that is resilient to climate change. First, it must provide students with the scientific knowledge necessary to understand the climate crisis and biodiversity. Second, schools must ensure continuity of learning even during extreme weather events. Finally, educational institutions must adopt sustainable practices in their infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.[36]​[37]​.

The development of green citizenship involves the strengthening of three fundamental dimensions in students:[33]​[36]​.

Green citizenship is also linked to the development of technical skills that prepare young people for green jobs. The transition to a sustainable economy requires that education systems, particularly those in technical and higher education, coordinate with national decarbonization strategies to ensure that students are prepared to take advantage of emerging job opportunities.[36]​[35]​.

Educational institutions can be a living example of sustainable practices, using green infrastructure and resources such as solar panels and school gardens. These initiatives allow for an experiential educational experience, connecting theoretical learning with daily practice, and reinforce the development of skills for green citizenship. In addition, it is important to measure the progress of students in the development of these competencies, using instruments that allow them to evaluate their knowledge, values ​​and behaviors regarding sustainability.[36]​Through these interventions, environmental education can train future green citizens, capable of adapting and leading in a world that faces increasing environmental challenges.[33][36][35]​.

school gardens

School gardens became an excellent teaching resource for both rural and urban schools. Promoting care for the environment, self-sustainable food, collective work, community service, waste reduction by building compost bins, etc.[38]​[39]​.

Some Latin American countries, such as Chile, include them in their educational policy.[40]​.

The production of healthy foods rescues ancestral knowledge of culture linked to scientific knowledge, giving us the possibility of bringing students closer to sustainable productive strategies that rescue the potential of nature itself.[41]​.

Environmental problems are increasingly present in our society. Educational centers are a perfect setting to address environmental training and thus be able to develop a critical spirit that makes them face these problems and propose effective solutions. Thus, educational contexts are echoing this demand and programs are being developed aimed at promoting environmental and sustainable awareness in students[42]​[43]​.

Cinema and documentaries

One of the options that has been most insisted upon to try to raise awareness among youth is to do so through cinema.

Another tool that helps environmental education would be music since through this means different messages can be transmitted not only to students and young people, but also to people of different ages, so that in this way they can understand the importance of caring for the environment. Since our actions will have consequences in the not too distant future.

Commerce and the management of various advertising campaigns promote environmental education as they promote the acquisition of ecological values, promoting recycling and implementing conservation campaigns.[44]​[45]​.

In Mexico, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), on its website, has published several documentaries on the subject, which show the importance of caring for the environment and promote the culture of the three Rs (3R's) reduce, reuse and recycle.[46]​.

Problem solving is one of the techniques used in environmental education:

For these authors, the key to success in solving problems is organization. In this organization they seek the cooperation of other people, inside and outside the school framework. The program is designed to promote the school curriculum and establishes a kind of bridge between it and the environment close to the center, incorporating problem topics that must be resolved following the sequence indicated above.[49]​.

The circumstances that must occur to achieve environmental education require the development of a project, program or plan. Planning in the field of Environmental Education is limited to the level of a program.[50]​ The environmental education program that was developed is both useful for formal and non-formal education. Furthermore, they adjust to a model valid for all levels of the school system, for all types of students, levels of education, classes and all types of program objectives. For the implementation of an efficient environmental education program, the following is required:

The order of presentation of the assigned concepts, knowledge and skills must be in accordance with the public to which the information is transferred. This is because the knowledge and attitudes of a primary school student are not the same as those of a secondary school student, so the environmental education program seeks to bring the appropriate information to the appropriate public in an orderly manner.

The thematic development of environmental education can be divided into 4 levels, which also correspond to the degree of complexity, which depends on the public to be treated. These levels are:

In Argentina

Yolanda Law includes all public employees of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of the Nation.[58]​.

Comprehensive Environmental Education Law, promote environmental education and incorporate new paradigms of sustainability into the areas of formal, non-formal and informal education.[59]​.

In Chile

Law 19,300 defines environmental education as a "permanent process of an interdisciplinary nature, aimed at the formation of a citizenry that recognizes values, clarifies concepts and develops the skills and attitudes necessary for a harmonious coexistence between human beings, their culture and their surrounding bio-physical environment" (Art. 2, letter h).[60]​.

In Venezuela

The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela established in 1999 the mandatory nature of environmental education at all educational levels: "Article 107: Environmental education is mandatory at the levels and modalities of the educational system, as well as in non-formal citizen education." Likewise, it established a series of environmental rights, among them, the right to live in a healthy environment. [61]​.