Environmental Literacy Education: A Means for Curbing the Effect of Climate Change

Abstract

This paper sought to bring to light the truth that environmental literacy education is the process of displaying a set of understanding, skills, attitudes and habits of mind that empowers the individuals to relate to their environment in a positive fashion as to maintain or restore sustainable relationship with others and the entire environment; the ability and willingness to make environmental decisions which are consistent with both quality of the environment and quality of human life. It examined the characteristics of an environmentally-literate person and the levels of environmental literacy. It also exposed the essence of climate change such as man’s radical exploration and exploitation of the environment; causes of climate change as rapid industrialisation; agriculture; emission of carbon-dioxide among other things; its effects like ozone depletion, desertification, deforestation, biodiversity Loss among others; and why environmental literacy education could be employed as a tool to curb the effect of climate change in Nigeria and the world in general. The following among others were seen as a way forward to protect the lives and the environment against the effects of climate change: those who are vulnerable to flood should open drainages around them; reconstruct roads with better drainages and stop building along water ways to prevent reoccurrence of the effects of climate change.

Key Words: environmental literacy education, climate change