Role Of Geography In Environmental Education

Geography is the science which studies the human-space interaction according to the principle of cause and effect, and it deals with space and human who uses it for economic purposes. What really matters in this human-environment interaction is that benefits should become permanent and sustainable. This phenomenon is extremely important for future generations if we desire them to continue to benefit from the geographical environment. When we look at the current perception of the environment and the related application, the present state is not very encouraging. I’ll give you a few examples; field grabbing race in polar regions under the pretext of researching, construction of technological cities in desert areas, destruction of tropical forests for agriculture and settlement purposes, oil drilling practices in the open seas, increasing presence of nuclear facilities and so on. Such human activities lead to irreversible damages to the natural environment. Also due to misapplication of human activities such as settlement and industrialization, mankind confronts such an unhealthy environment where the soil lost all contact with the sky, global warming, extreme pollution in the atmosphere and hydrographic elements. With an effective environmental education, it is possible to prevent the excessive and improper use which nature cannot compensate anymore. Ever-increasing world population creates the biggest problem that prevents sustainable use of scarce resources. Undoubtedly protecting the natural environment does not mean disuse. In this respect, the question of how to use the natural environment, how to plan and how to ensure environmental awareness in large populations come to the fore. In order to answer these questions it is necessary to know the structure and the properties of the natural environment for the first place. At this point, the place of geography comes to the fore in an effective environmental education. This study emphasizes effective environmental education, and attempts to explain the functions of the geography and how it should be utilized in environmental education.