aper presenLed aL 5ostolooblllty.

5mott 5ttoteqles fot tbe 21c, Lhe naLlonal conference of Lhe

AusLrallan AssoclaLlon for LnvlronmenLal LducaLlon, PobarL 1asmanla, 2-3 november 2014. 1hls ls a
drafL work ln progress: quoLe aL Lhe rlsk of knowlng LhaL we change our mlnds frequenLly.
!"# %#&'()*'(+,& ,- #&.+*,&/#&('0 #%)1'(+,&2 #340,*+&5 ("#
*,0# ,- #1,(#1"&,0,5+#6

AnneLLe Cough
School of LducaLlon, 8Ml1 unlverslLy

noel Cough
laculLy of LducaLlon, La 1robe unlverslLy

786(*'1(2
1bls popet explotes tbe cbooqloq woys eovltoomeot bos beeo tepteseoteJ lo tbe
Jlscootses of eovltoomeotol eJocotloo ooJ eJocotloo fot sostolooble Jevelopmeot lo
uolteJ Notloos (ooJ teloteJ) pobllcotloos sloce tbe 1970s. lt Jtows oo tbe wtltloqs of
Ieoo-loc Noocy ooJ Jlscosses tbe locteosloqly Jomlooot vlew of tbe eovltoomeot os
o oototol tesootce bose fot ecooomlc ooJ soclol Jevelopmeot ooJ bow tbls
losttomeotollsotloo of ootote ls ptoJoceJ by Jlscootses ooJ ecotecbooloqles tbot
lJeotlfy ooJ Jefloe tbe oototol teolm lo oot telotloosblp wltb lt. 1bls Jeootototloo of
ootote ls teflecteJ lo tbe ptlotltles fot sostolooble Jevelopmeot JlscosseJ ot klo-20
ooJ ptoposeJ soccessot uN5cO ptojects. 1be popet otqoes fot tbe oeeJ to teossett
tbe lottloslc voloe of eovltoomeot lo eJocotloo Jlscootses ooJ Jlscosses sttoteqles
fot so Joloq. 1be popet ls loteoJeJ os o woke-op coll to tbe cbooqloq cootext of tbe
eovltoomeot lo eJocotloo fot sostolooble Jevelopmeot Jlscootses. lo pottlcolot we
oeeJ to tespooJ to tbe lotest uN5cO Jltectloo of qlobol cltlzeosblp eJocotloo os tbe
soccessot to tbe uecoJe (201J) tbot cootlooes to telofotce oo losttomeotollst vlew of
tbe eovltoomeot os pott of coottlbotloq to o mote jost, peocefol, toletoot, locloslve,
secote ooJ sostolooble wotlJ.

9,&(#3(
numerous reporLs over Lhe pasL Lwo decades and more from lnLernaLlonal and
naLlonal governmenL bodles (see, for example, 8oss CarnauL, 2008, SLaLe of Lhe
LnvlronmenL 2011 CommlLLee, 2011, unlLed naLlons, 1993, 2002, 2012, World
Commlsslon on LnvlronmenL and uevelopmenL, 1987) agree on Lhe need for an
hollsLlc approach Lowards susLalnable developmenL, characLerlsed by Lhe World
Commlsslon on LnvlronmenL and uevelopmenL (1987) as 'developmenL LhaL meeLs
Lhe needs of Lhe presenL wlLhouL compromlslng Lhe ablllLy of fuLure generaLlons Lo
meeL Lhelr own needs' (p.8). Such susLalnable developmenL encompasses Lhe
lnLerconnecLedness of soclal, economlc and envlronmenLal lssues, raLher Lhan
focuslng prlmarlly on envlronmenLal proLecLlon.
1hese reporLs also acknowledge Lhe lmporLance of educaLlon aL all levels ln
achlevlng a susLalnable fuLure:

AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
2
LducaLlon ls crlLlcal for promoLlng susLalnable developmenL and lmprovlng Lhe
capaclLy of Lhe people Lo address envlronmenL and developmenL lssues... lL ls
also crlLlcal for achlevlng envlronmenLal and eLhlcal awareness, values and
aLLlLudes, skllls and behavlour conslsLenL wlLh susLalnable developmenL, and for
effecLlve publlc parLlclpaLlon ln declslon-maklng. (unlLed naLlons, 1993,
paragraph 36.3)
ln Lhls lnsLrumenLallsL vlew, educaLlon for susLalnable developmenL (LSu) ls seen as
Lhe means by whlch schools and communlLles can (and should) work Lowards
creaLlng a susLalnable fuLure.
1he orlglns of Lhe LSu movemenL can be Lraced Lo Lhe 1972 unlLed naLlons
Conference on Lhe Puman LnvlronmenL held ln SLockholm and lLs ueclaraLlon whlch
proclalms: 'Lo defend and lmprove Lhe envlronmenL for presenL and fuLure
generaLlons has become an lmperaLlve goal for manklnd [slc]' (unLSCC, 1978, p. 24).
Concerns abouL Lhe naLural envlronmenL as well as Lhe human envlronmenL
conLlnued ln Lhe 8elgrade CharLer lramework for LnvlronmenLal LducaLlon
(unLSCC, 1973) whlch lncludes such sLaLemenLs as:

lL ls absoluLely vlLal LhaL Lhe world's clLlzens lnslsL upon measures LhaL wlll
supporL Lhe klnd of economlc growLh whlch wlll noL have harmful repercusslons
on people - LhaL wlll noL ln any way dlmlnlsh Lhelr envlronmenL and Lhelr llvlng
condlLlons. (p.1)
Mllllons of lndlvlduals wlll Lhemselves need Lo ad[usL Lhelr own prlorlLles and
assume a 'personal and lndlvlduallsed global eLhlc' - and reflecL ln all of Lhelr
behavlour a commlLmenL Lo Lhe lmprovemenL of Lhe quallLy of Lhe envlronmenL
and of llfe for all Lhe world's people. (p.2)
1he reform of educaLlonal processes and sysLems ls cenLral Lo Lhe bulldlng of Lhls
new developmenL eLhlc and world economlc order. (p.2)
1hls new envlronmenLal educaLlon musL be broad based and sLrongly relaLed Lo
Lhe baslc prlnclples ouLllned ln Lhe unlLed naLlons ueclaraLlon on Lhe New
cooomlc OtJet. (p.2)

1he lnLenLlon of such sLaLemenLs, ln Lhelr concern for 'Lhe lmprovemenL of Lhe
quallLy of Lhe envlronmenL and of llfe for all Lhe world's people', ls congruenL wlLh
!ean-Luc nancy's (2007) concerns abouL Lhe changlng world - from a place for
everyone (toot le mooJe) Lo a qlome or qlomos, a 'land of exlle', ln a process of
globallzaLlon:

A world ls preclsely LhaL ln whlch Lhere ls room for everyone, buL a genulne
place, one ln whlch Lhlngs can genulnely Lake place (ln Lhls world). CLherwlse,
Lhls ls noL a 'world': lL ls a 'globe' or a 'glome', lL ls a 'land of exlle' and a 'vale of
Lears' (p.42).

ln such a qlomos we see Lhe con[uncLlon of an lndeflnlLe growLh of Lechno-
sclence, of a correlaLlve exponenLlal growLh of populaLlons, of a worsenlng of
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
3
lnequallLles of all sorLs wlLhln Lhese populaLlons - economlc, blologlcal, and
culLural - and of a dlsslpaLlon of Lhe cerLalnLles, lmages, and ldenLlLles of whaL
Lhe world was wlLh lLs parLs and humanlLy wlLh lLs characLerlsLlcs (p. 34).

1he sense of qlome Lo whlch nancy (2007) refers ls Lhe old word 'glome' or
'glomus', such as ln agqlomeraLlon: wlLh lLs senses of conqlomeraLlon: 'a plllng up,
wlLh Lhe sense of accumulaLlon LhaL, on Lhe one hand, slmply concenLraLes . Lhe
well-belng LhaL used Lo be urban or clvll, whlle on Lhe oLher hand, prollferaLes whaL
bears Lhe qulLe slmple and unmerclful name of mlsery' (p.33). Accordlng Lo nancy
(2007), Lhls 'agglomeraLlon lnvades and erodes whaL used Lo be LhoughL of qlobe
whlch ls noLhlng more now LhaL lLs double, qlomos (pp.33-34). 1hls relaLlonshlp
beLween qlome and qlobe opens up Lhe opporLunlLy for nancy Lo arLlculaLe Lhe
LranslLlon from qlobe Lo qlobollsotloo (and mooJe Lo mooJlollsotloo). Accordlng Lo
Marc ue kesel (n.d.), for nancy,

globallzaLlon noL only has modlfled Lhe world, lL has essenLlally changed Lhe way
we relaLe Lo Lhe world, our belng ln LhaL world and, on a yeL more fundamenLal
level, our belng as such. We can no longer conslder ourselves as sLandlng ouLslde
Lhe world, l.e. as sub[ecL Lo whom Lhe world ls an ob[ecL. CloballzaLlon has made
clear LhaL our very relaLlon Lo Lhe world ls more baslc Lhan Lhe auLonomous
sub[ecLs we suppose we are (p. 1).

nancy Lhen argues LhaL, slnce our 'world' has become a 'globe', we need Lo make
a declslon Lo relnvenL or (re)creaLe Lhe world by decldlng Lo deconsLrucL Lhe loglc of
Lhe double blnd ln our presenL globallsaLlon dlscourse. ue kesel (n.d.) lnLerpreLs Lhls
process as a work ln progress:

Cur world ls Lhe deconsLrucLlon, l.e. Lhe passage and Lhe LranslLlon from Lhe
globe (Lo be deconsLrucLed) Lo Lhe 'world' (as whaL ls supposed Lo be Lhe resulL of
Lhls deconsLrucLlon)... 1he 'mondlallsaLlon' wlll remaln wlLhln Lhe LranslLlon
Lowards Lhls beyond. lL wlll remaln ln Lhe acL of creaLlon LhaL lL ls. 1he
'mondlallsaLlon' wlll force us Lo redeflne our world as belng Lhls very LranslLlon.
And Lo creaLe such a world, we have Lo assume ourselves as belng Lhe uaseln of
LhaL LranslLlon. ln Lhe case of globallzaLlon, we have Lo be Lhe place (uaseln)
where Lhe evenL of Lhe LranslLlon from 'globe' Lo 'world' happens, occurs, Lakes
place. We Lherefore have Lo assume our own belng as LranslLlon, as an 'ln
beLween' as such (p.16).

We use Lhls ouLllne of nancy's argumenL for creaLlng Lhe world, mooJlollsotloo,
as a replacemenL for globallsaLlon, and hls noLlon of ecoLechnologles as a crlLlque of
globallsaLlon, as a framework for analyslng Lhe lnLernaLlonal documenLs around Lhe
unlLed naLlons uecade of LducaLlon for SusLalnable uevelopmenL.
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
4
:1,(#1"&,0,5+#6 '&% ("# ;:&% ,- <'()*#=
1he lnsLrumenLallsaLlon of naLure can be aLLrlbuLed Lo whaL nancy (2007) calls
ecotecbooloqy:

lL ls clear LhaL so-called 'naLural llfe,' from lLs producLlon Lo lLs conservaLlon, lLs
needs, and lLs represenLaLlons, wheLher human, anlmal, vegeLal, or vlral, ls
henceforLh lnseparable from a seL of condlLlons LhaL are referred Lo as
'Lechnologlcal', and whlch consLlLuLe whaL musL raLher be named ecotecbooloqy
where any klnd of 'naLure' develops for us (and by us) (p. 94).

lor nancy (2000), ecoLechnologles enframe Lhe world and lmply a Lrlple dlvlslon of
Lhe world: 'Lhe dlvlslon of Lhe rlch from Lhe poor, Lhe dlvlslon of Lhe lnLegraLed from
Lhe excluded, and Lhe dlvlslon of norLh from Lhe SouLh' (p.133), such ecotecbooloqy
'damages, weakens and upseLs Lhe funcLlonlng of all soverelgnLles, excepL for Lhose
LhaL ln reallLy colnclde wlLh ecoLechnlcal power' (pp.133-6): 'whaL fotms o wotlJ
Loday ls exacLly Lhe con[uncLlon of an unllmlLed process of eco-Lechnologlcal
enframlng ooJ of a vanlshlng of Lhe posslblllLles of forms of llfe and/or of common
ground' (nancy, 2007, p.93). lndeed, as Amanda 8oeLzkes (2010) argues, drawlng on
nancy,

Lhere ls no naLure for us LhaL ls noL LhoughL Lhrough ecotecbooloqy, be lL a
reducLlve blologlcal model, Lhe conservaLlon paradlgm, resource managemenL,
susLalnablllLy, global warmlng, hybrld cars, compacL fluorescenL llghL bulbs, and
wlnd Lurblnes Lo name only a few of Lhe many dlscourses and accompanylng
Lechnlques LhaL ldenLlfy and deflne Lhe naLural realm ln our relaLlonshlp Lo lL (p.
29).

lor nancy, hlsLory (unLll Lhls polnL) ls preclsely a hlsLory ln relaLlon Lo a naLure LhaL ls
slmply glven (boLh as Lhe ground and Lelos of hlsLory) and Lhe exhausLlon of Lhe
world Lhrough globallsaLlon slgnals reLrospecLlvely a hlsLorlcal process of rupLure
LhaL nancy (2007) Lerms Jeootototloo (p.82) and leads hlm Lo vlew Lhe 'flrsL creaLlon
of Lhe world' from Lhe sLandpolnL of ecotecbooloqy: we can 'deLermln[e] Lhe hlsLory
of Lechnologles up Lo our Llme wlLhouL glvlng lL anoLher meanlng ln lLs fundamenLal
conLlngency Lhan Lhe lndeflnlLe relaLlon of Lechnology Lo lLself and Lo Lhe escape of
lLs denaLuraLlon' (p.89). nancy (2007) also argues LhaL ecotecbooloqles produce a
sense of naLure by Lhelr very Jeootototloo and LhaL, 'lL ls ln denaLuraLlon LhaL LhaL
someLhlng llke Lhe represenLaLlons of a naLure" can be produced' (p.87).
ln modern lndusLrlal socleLles, naLure has ofLen been deflned as CLher Lo culLure.
Shane helan (1993), for example, observes LhaL 'Lhe opposlLlon Lo culLure"
provldes Lhe bedrock meanlng of naLure" ln Lhe WesL, buL Lhls opposlLlon has
become fraughL wlLh Lenslon' (p. 44). ln a eulogy for whaL he calls 'Lhe end of
naLure', 8lll Mcklbben (1990) draws aLLenLlon Lo Lhe self-consLlLuLlve force of
dlfferenLlaLlng ourselves from naLure's exLernallLy and oLherness:
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
3

When l say LhaL we have ended naLure, l don'L mean, obvlously, LhaL naLural
processes have ceased - Lhere ls sLlll sunshlne and sLlll wlnd, sLlll growLh, sLlll
decay. 8ot we bove eoJeJ tbe tbloq tbot bos, ot leost lo moJeto tlmes, JefloeJ
ootote fot os-lts sepototloo ftom bomoo soclety. (p. 60, lLallcs ln orlglnal)
We have kllled off naLure - LhaL world enLlrely lndependenL of us whlch was here
before we arrlved and whlch enclrcled and supporLed our human socleLy. ln Lhe
place of Lhe old naLure rears up a new 'naLure' of our maklng. lL ls llke Lhe old
naLure ln LhaL lL makes lLs polnLs Lhrough whaL we Lhlnk of as naLural processes
(raln, wlnd, heaL), buL lL offers none of Lhe consolaLlons-Lhe reLreaL from Lhe
human world, Lhe sense of permanence and even of eLernlLy (p. 88).

1he denaLuraLlon of whaL Mcklbben calls 'naLural processes (raln, wlnd, heaL)' ls
especlally apparenL ln Lhe ways many of us now experlence weaLher. AlLhough we
may sLlll aLLend Lo Lhe ways ln whlch we engage physlcally wlLh Lhe weaLher, we
have also naLurallsed Lhe Lechnologles Lhrough whlch weaLher ls presenLed Lo us as
an absLracLlon: Lo lnLerpreL or forecasL Lhe weaLher we are more llkely Lo look aL a
Lelevlslon screen or Lap a weaLher app on a smarL phone Lhan go ouLslde and look aL
Lhe sky. Cur culLural acLlvlLles - lndusLrlal polluLlon, urbanlsaLlon, agrlbuslness -
have qulLe llLerally 'consLrucLed' Lhe greenhouse effecL and eroded Lhe ozone layer
buL our knowledge of Lhese and Lhe many oLher complexlLles of cllmaLe change ls
consLrucLed by Lhe global neLwork of weaLher sLaLlons, saLelllLes, supercompuLers,
meLeorologlsLs and broadcasLers LhaL produce Lhe lmages, models and slmulaLlons
LhaL are Lhe maLerlal represenLaLlons of LhaL knowledge. ln Lhls sense, as !ody
8erland (1994) wrlLes, 'Lhe weaLher can no longer be consldered naLural". buL (llke
gender and oLher prevlously naLural" concepLs) musL be undersLood as [a] soclally
consLrucLed arLlfacL' p. 106).
As one of us has argued elsewhere (noel Cough, 1997), much of whaL now counLs
as 'naLure' for Lhose of us who dwell ln hlghly urbanlsed and Lechnologlsed socleLles,
conslsLs of Lhe measuremenL and pro[ecLlon of human culLure's lnLeracLlons wlLh Lhe
blosphere ln and on whaL, followlng nancy, we can now call an ecoLechnology of
global lnformaLlon flows. under Lhese clrcumsLances, we flnd lL mosL helpful Lo Lhlnk
of envlronmenLal educaLlon as a sLruggle Lo come Lo pedagoglc Lerms wlLh Lhe
'narraLlve complexlLy' (noel Cough, 1993) generaLed by Lhe caLegorlcal amblgulLles
and enLanglemenLs LhaL now aLLend such concepLs as self, culLure, naLure, and
arLefacL. 1o daLe, llLLle of whaL ls performed ln Lhe name of envlronmenLal educaLlon
has engaged (or soughL Lo engage) Lhls sLruggle buL, raLher, Lends Lo reflecL and Lo
naLurallse models of soclal lnLeracLlon ln whlch 'raLlonal' behavlour ls assumed Lo
follow from human acLors pursulng Lhelr more or less enllghLened self-lnLeresLs ln
maxlmlslng uLlllLles and amenlLles or saLlsfylng preferences. LnvlronmenLal
educaLlon Lyplcally deplcLs Lhe forms of knowledge lL prlvlleges (wheLher Lhls be
absLracL sclence or experlenLlal fleldwork) as belng lnsLrumenLal ln enabllng humans
Lo pursue such 'raLlonal' cholces buL lgnores Lhe ways ln whlch human agency ls
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
6
ptoJoceJ by and wlLhln Lhe complex clrculLs and relays LhaL connecL - and
conLlngenLly relnforce - knowledges and sub[ecLlvlLles ln Lhe LechnoculLural mllleux
of posLmodern socleLles. ?eL Lhe exLenL Lo whlch knowledges are auLhorlsed, and
Lhe manner ln whlch Lhey are (or are noL) moblllsed ln Lhe form of dlsposlLlons Lo acL
(or noL), may be very senslLlve Lo dlfferenL culLural LradlLlons, values and ldenLlLles.
lor example, 8rlan Wynne (1994) argues for cauLlon ln predlcLlng Lhe effecLs of
provldlng people wlLh sclenLlflc knowledge of global envlronmenLal change:

1he assumpLlon ls LhaL lncreaslng publlc awareness of global warmlng sclenLlflc
scenarlos wlll lncrease Lhelr readlness Lo make sacrlflces Lo achleve remedlal
goals. ?eL an equally plauslble suggesLlon ls LhaL Lhe more LhaL people are
convlnced LhaL global warmlng poses a global LhreaL, Lhe more paralysed Lhey
may become as Lhe scenarlos Lake on Lhe myLhlc role of a new 'end of Lhe world'
culLural narraLlve. Whlch way Lhls Lurns ouL may depend on Lhe LaclL senses of
agency whlch people have of Lhemselves ln socleLy. 1he more global Lhls conLexL
Lhe less Lhls may become. 1hus Lhe culLural and soclal models shaplng and burled
wlLhln our sclences, naLural and soclal, need Lo be expllcaLed and crlLlcally
debaLed (p. 186).

Comparable argumenLs can be mounLed ln relaLlon Lo efforLs by soclally crlLlcal
envlronmenLal educaLors Lo lncrease publlc awareness of, say, Lhe exLenL Lo whlch
sclenLlflc models of cllmaLe change reflecL Lhe lnLeresLs of developed counLrles and
obscure Lhe pollLlcal domlnaLlon, economlc explolLaLlon and soclal lnequlLles
underlylng much global envlronmenLal change. Agaln, we cannoL assume LhaL such
knowledges wlll moblllze people 'Lo make sacrlflces Lo achleve remedlal goals'. 1o do
so would be Lo lgnore Lhe posslblllLy of whaL Wynne (1994) calls 'Lhe lnLrlnslcally
allenaLlng effecLs of knowledge whlch consLrucLs people ln envlronmenLal processes
as lf Lhey are merely reproduclng and exLendlng consumer-based caplLallsm' (p. 187)
- Lo whlch we could add lmperlallsm, colonlallsm, and so on.
Such conslderaLlons lead us Lo suggesL LhaL ln envlronmenLal educaLlon we need
Lo aLLend much more closely Lo Lhe mlcro-pollLlcs of sub[ecLlve llfe, Lhough noL, we
musL emphaslse, as a furLher exerclse ln Lhe klnd of scruLlny and survelllance LhaL we
already pracLlce Lo excess ln educaLlon and educaLlonal research. 8aLher, we need Lo
parLlclpaLe more fully, self-crlLlcally, and reflexlvely ln Lhe culLural narraLlves and
processes wlLhln whlch ldenLlLy, agency, knowledges and ecoLechnologles are
dlscurslvely produced. uL blunLly, envlronmenLal educaLlon should be less
concerned wlLh 'naLure' Lhan lLs JeoototeJ culLural lnvenLlon.
>#&'()*'(+,& +& :&.+*,&/#&('0 :%)1'(+,& >+61,)*6#6
erhaps Lhe mosL lmporLanL lnLernaLlonal meeLlng regardlng envlronmenLal
educaLlon was Lhe lnLergovernmenLal Conference on LnvlronmenLal LducaLlon held
ln 1blllsl (uSS8) ln 1977 (unLSCC, 1978). 1he goals and ob[ecLlves of envlronmenLal
educaLlon recommended aL Lhls conference (unLSCC, 1978, pp.26-27) conLlnued Lo
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
7
be endorsed aL subsequenL unLSCC and un meeLlngs. lor example, Lhe reporL of
Lhe 1987 unLSCC Moscow lnLernaLlonal Congress on LnvlronmenLal LducaLlon and
1ralnlng sLaLes LhaL Lhe '8ecommendaLlons of Lhe 1blllsl Conference (1977) on
envlronmenLal educaLlon goals, ob[ecLlves and guldlng prlnclples are Lo be
consldered as provldlng Lhe baslc framework for envlronmenLal educaLlon aL all
levels, lnslde or ouLslde Lhe school sysLem' (unLSCC-unL, 1988, p. 6). Slmllarly, Lhe
educaLlon chapLer of AqeoJo 21, Lhe sLraLegy plan from unCLu, sLaLes LhaL '[L]he
ueclaraLlon and 8ecommendaLlons of Lhe 1blllsl lnLergovernmenLal Conference on
LnvlronmenLal LducaLlon organlzed by unLSCC and unL and held ln 1977, have
provlded Lhe fundamenLal prlnclples for Lhe proposals ln Lhls documenL' (unlLed
naLlons, 1993, para. 36.1). 1he goals from Lhe 1blllsl conference (unLSCC, 1978,
p.26) Lo whlch Lhese documenLs refer are:

1. 1he goals of envlronmenLal educaLlon are:
(a) Lo fosLer clear awareness of, and concern abouL, economlc, soclal, pollLlcal
and ecologlcal lnLerdependence ln urban and rural areas,
(b) Lo provlde every person wlLh opporLunlLles Lo acqulre Lhe knowledge,
values, aLLlLudes, commlLmenL and skllls needed Lo proLecL and lmprove Lhe
envlronmenL,
(c) Lo creaLe new paLLerns of behavlour of lndlvlduals, groups and socleLy as a
whole Lowards Lhe envlronmenL.

As wlLh Lhe 8elgrade CharLer sLaLemenL noLed above, Lhe focus here ls on Lhe
LoLal envlronmenL and lLs lmprovemenL and proLecLlon as well as noL havlng
'harmful repercusslons on people'.
1here was a LranslLlon ln Lermlnology beLween Lhe 8elgrade CharLer (unLSCC,
1973), Lhe 1blllsl ueclaraLlon (unLSCC, 1978) and laLer reporLs ln LhaL
'envlronmenLal educaLlon' lncreaslngly was replaced by 'educaLlon for susLalnable
developmenL' ln boLh AqeoJo 21, Lhe reporL of Lhe 1992 LarLh SummlL held ln 8lo de
!anelro (unlLed naLlons, 1993) and Lhe reporL of Lhe 2002 unlLed naLlons World
SummlL on SusLalnable uevelopmenL held ln !ohannesburg (unlLed naLlons, 2002).
1hls World SummlL declared educaLlon as crlLlcal for promoLlng susLalnable
developmenL. Powever, Lhe vlslon from AqeoJo 21 broadened from a focus on 'Lhe
role of educaLlon ln pursulng Lhe klnd of developmenL LhaL would respecL and
nurLure Lhe naLural envlronmenL' Lo encompass 'soclal [usLlce and Lhe flghL agalnsL
poverLy as key prlnclples of developmenL LhaL ls susLalnable' (unLSCC, 2004, p. 7),
as ls evldenL ln Lhls sLaLemenL from Lhe World SummlL reporL:

We recognlze LhaL poverLy eradlcaLlon, changlng consumpLlon and producLlon
paLLerns and proLecLlng and managlng Lhe naLural resource base for economlc
and soclal developmenL are overarchlng ob[ecLlves of and essenLlal requlremenLs
for susLalnable developmenL (unlLed naLlons, 2002, p.2).

AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
8
1hls sLaLemenL ls slgnlflcanL because Lhe envlronmenL ls now represenLed as a
'naLural resource base for economlc and soclal developmenL', and noLlons of
lmprovlng Lhe quallLy of Lhe envlronmenL, conLalned ln earller sLaLemenLs, have
dlsappeared. ln nancy's Lerms, Lhe globe ls becomlng a qlome, and we are caughL ln
Lhe LranslLlon.

Sllences around Lhe lnLrlnslc value of Lhe envlronmenL, and even blodlverslLy,
conLlnued lnLo Lhe ouLcomes reporL of Lhe 8lo+20 unlLed naLlons Conference on
SusLalnable uevelopmenL (unlLed naLlons, 2012) where Lhe LhemaLlc areas and
cross-secLoral lssues are summarlsed as:
overLy eradlcaLlon
lood securlLy and nuLrlLlon and susLalnable agrlculLure
Lnergy
SusLalnable LransporL
SusLalnable clLles
PealLh and populaLlons
romoLlng full and producLlve employmenL, decenL work for all, and soclal
proLecLlons.
1haL Lhese are Lhe prlorlLles for susLalnable developmenL ls conslsLenL wlLh
nancy's (2007) argumenL LhaL ecotecbooloqles produce a sense of naLure by Lhelr
very 'denaLuraLlon' and LhaL ecoLechnologles lmply a Lrlple dlvlslon of Lhe world.
lollowlng proposals from !apan and Sweden, and followlng Lhe !ohannesburg
lan of lmplemenLaLlon, Lhe unlLed naLlons Ceneral Assembly, aL lLs 37Lh Sesslon ln
uecember 2002, adopLed a resoluLlon Lo sLarL Lhe uecade of LducaLlon for
SusLalnable uevelopmenL (uLSu) from !anuary 2003. unLSCC was deslgnaLed Lo be
Lhe lead agency for Lhe uecade and lL developed an lnLernaLlonal lmplemenLaLlon
Scheme for Lhe uLSu (unLSCC, 2004, 2003).
1he unLSCC Scheme broughL LogeLher a range of lnLernaLlonal lnlLlaLlves LhaL
were already ln place - ln parLlcular Lhe Mlllennlum uevelopmenL Coals (MuC)
process, Lhe LducaLlon for All (LlA) movemenL, and Lhe unlLed naLlons LlLeracy
uecade (unLu) - wlLh educaLlon for susLalnable developmenL (LSu).

All of Lhese global lnlLlaLlves alm Lo achleve an lmprovemenL ln Lhe quallLy of llfe,
parLlcularly for Lhe mosL deprlved and marglnallsed, fulflllmenL of human rlghLs
lncludlng gender equallLy, poverLy reducLlon, democracy and acLlve clLlzenshlp. lf
Lhe MuCs provlde a seL of Langlble and measurable developmenL goals wlLhln
whlch educaLlon ls a slgnlflcanL lnpuL and lndlcaLor, lf LlA focuses on ways of
provldlng educaLlonal opporLunlLles Lo everyone, and lf Lhe unLu concenLraLes
on promoLlng Lhe key learnlng Lool for all forms of sLrucLured learnlng, uLSu ls
more concerned Lhan Lhe oLher Lhree lnlLlaLlves wlLh Lhe conLenL and purpose of
educaLlon. Concelvlng and deslgnlng LSu challenges all forms of educaLlonal
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
9
provlslon Lo adopL pracLlces and approaches whlch fosLer Lhe values of
susLalnable developmenL (unlLed naLlons unlverslLy, 2006).

Somewhere beLween Lhe envlronmenLal educaLlon sLaLemenLs from 8elgrade
(unLSCC, 1973) and 1blllsl (unLSCC, 1978) and Lhe educaLlon for susLalnable
developmenL sLaLemenLs from !ohannesburg (unlLed naLlons, 2002) and abouL Lhe
uecade (unLSCC, 2004, 2003) a concern for Lhe envlronmenL dlsappeared and Lhe
whole focus became Lhe human condlLlon, or whaL nancy (2007) calls Jeootototloo:
'humanlLy" ls Lhe lndexlcal name of Lhe lndeflnlLe and lnflnlLe Lerm of Lhe human
denaLuraLlon' (p.87).
?)()*# %+*#1(+,&6@
uurlng Lhe uecade Lhere have been Lwo revlews (Ar[en Wals, 2009, Ar[en Wals &
CaLhy nolan, 2012) of progress LhaL recognlse LhaL LSu ls belng lnLerpreLed ln many
dlfferenL ways ln dlfferenL conLexLs and LhaL LSu has replaced envlronmenLal
educaLlon ln some lnsLances ln formal educaLlon. Powever, ln Lhe flrsL revlew lL ls
also noLed LhaL 'many counLrles have a LradlLlon ln addresslng Lhe envlronmenLal
dlmenslon of susLalnablllLy and are qulLe comforLable ln dolng so, Lhls ls less Lhe case
when lL comes Lo Lhe soclal, economlc and culLural dlmenslons' (Wals, 2009, p.71). ln
Lhe nexL revlew Wals and nolan (2012) found LhaL '[g]lven Lhe world's lncreaslng
concern wlLh Su lssues, LSu appears well poslLloned Lo play a synerglzlng role among
a wlde varleLy of sub-flelds of educaLlon. 1hese lnclude envlronmenLal educaLlon,
global clLlzenshlp educaLlon and, more recenLly, consumer educaLlon, cllmaLe
change educaLlon and dlsasLer rlsk reducLlon' (p.63). 1hls laLLer sLaLemenL ls
presclenL ln LhaL unLSCC, as parL of Lhe unLSCC SecreLary-Ceneral's Clobal
LducaLlon llrsL lnlLlaLlve LhaL was launched ln 2012 (unLSCC, 2013a), ls already
lnvesLlgaLlng global clLlzenshlp educaLlon as an emerglng perspecLlve LhaL
encompasses susLalnablllLy:

Clobal clLlzenshlp educaLlon alms Lo empower learners Lo engage and assume
acLlve roles boLh locally and globally Lo face and resolve global challenges and
ulLlmaLely Lo become proacLlve conLrlbuLors Lo a more [usL, peaceful, LoleranL,
lncluslve, secure and susLalnable world (p. 3).

1he !anuary 2014 sesslon of Lhe unLSCC LxecuLlve 8oard endorsed a roposal for
a Clobal AcLlon rogramme on LducaLlon for SusLalnable uevelopmenL (unLSCC,
2013b) LhaL wlll be Lhe successor program Lo Lhe uecade of LducaLlon for
SusLalnable uevelopmenL posL 2014, sub[ecL Lo lLs approval aL Lhe 69
Lh
sesslon of Lhe
un Ceneral Assembly. 1he proposed acLlon program acknowledges Lhe need Lo
promoLe global clLlzenshlp and bullds on Lhe ouLcome documenL of Lhe unlLed
naLlons Conference on SusLalnable uevelopmenL (8lo+20) (unlLed naLlons, 2012)
where 'Member SLaLes agreed 'Lo promoLe educaLlon for susLalnable developmenL
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
10
and Lo lnLegraLe susLalnable developmenL more acLlvely lnLo educaLlon beyond Lhe
unlLed naLlons uecade of LducaLlon for SusLalnable uevelopmenL' (unLSCC, 2013b,
Annex p.1). 1he flrsL prlnclple guldlng Lhe acLlon program ls LhaL

LSu allows every human belng Lo acqulre Lhe knowledge, skllls, values and
aLLlLudes LhaL empower Lhem Lo conLrlbuLe Lo susLalnable developmenL and Lake
lnformed declslons and responslble acLlons for envlronmenLal lnLegrlLy, economlc
vlablllLy, and a [usL socleLy for presenL and fuLure generaLlons. (unLSCC, 2013b,
Annex p.2)

1hls prlnclple reflecLs Lhe changes ln orlenLaLlon beLween envlronmenLal
educaLlon and LSu when lL ls compared wlLh one of Lhe goals for envlronmenLal
educaLlon sLaLed ln Lhe 1blllsl ueclaraLlon (and noLed earller): 'Lo provlde every
person wlLh opporLunlLles Lo acqulre Lhe knowledge, values, aLLlLudes, commlLmenL
and skllls needed Lo proLecL and lmprove Lhe envlronmenL' (unLSCC, 1978, p.26).
1he 1blllsl goal aL leasL acknowledges Lhe need Lo proLecL and lmprove Lhe
envlronmenL and noL [usL focus on human socleLy. Some envlronmenLal educaLlon
researchers have descrlbed Lhls change from envlronmenLal educaLlon as conslsLenL
wlLh globallsaLlon, where Lhey see Lhe concepL of Su as acLlng 'boLh as a producL and
as an agenL of a globallzaLlon process embedded ln neo-llberal economlcs' (Lucle
Sauve, 8enee 8runelle, & 1om 8erryman, 2003, p. 280). 8ob !lckllng and Ar[en Wals
(2008) Lake Lhls furLher when Lhey argue LhaL

Cloballzlng ldeologles and Lhe correspondlng maLerlal effecLs are also havlng an
lmpacL on educaLlon. 1he powerful wave of neo-llberallsm rolllng over Lhe planeL,
wlLh pleas for 'markeL soluLlons' Lo educaLlonal problems and unlversal quallLy-
assurance schemes, are homogenlzlng Lhe educaLlonal landscape (p. 2).

1hls ls noL Lhe place Lo conLlnue a dlscusslon of neo-llberal globallsaLlon and LSu,
buL we belleve LhaL lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL Lhere ls a crlLlque of Lhe neollberal
agenda of susLalnable developmenL and Lhe coopLlon of educaLlon (parLlcularly LSu)
lnLo Lhls ls nelLher recenL nor welcomed by many researchers, and Lhls complemenLs
nancy's and our concern LhaL we need Lo recreaLe Lhe world as a place for everyone
whlle recognlslng LhaL we are Lhe place of LranslLlon.
Cur purpose ln Lhls paper ls Lo draw aLLenLlon Lo Lhe changlng represenLaLlons of
'envlronmenL' ln lnLernaLlonal LSu and envlronmenLal educaLlon dlscourses LhaL
seem Lo be movlng us away from a focus on human relaLlonshlps wlLh Lhelr
envlronmenLs Loward a focus on culLural and economlc relaLlonshlps. LnvlronmenLal
educaLors need Lo engage wlLh Lhe manner ln whlch Lhe world ls belng
Lechnologlcally enframed and denaLured.
AnneLLe & noel Cough: denaLuraLlon of envlronmenLal educaLlon (AALL 2014)
11
A#-#*#&1#6
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