Environmental Education to Environmental Sustainability
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Abstract
On the international scene, Chile has gained international recognition for its annual growth rate and its stability. Nevertheless, the Achilles heel of this growth is the over-exploitation of natural resources. Alongside growth, health problems and production losses were generated as a consequence of the degradation of natural and environmental resources. Also, there is a decrease in the quality of life of the Chilean people, a situation only acknowledged recently. The situation of environmental education in Chile is more understandable when it is put in the context of Chilean history over 25 years. The military government (1 973-1 989) carried out political, economical, social and administrative reforms as a part of the modernisation of the country. Although the new constitution of 1980 decreed that all Chileans should live in an environment free of pollution' as a citizens' right, the environmental theme did not appear in the priorities of the military government. Three elements determine the environmental concept in Chile: