Topic 1 | Environmental Education

Environmental Education
International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN,1970) Objectives
defines environmental education as Awareness
the process of recognising values o To help social groups
and clarifying concepts in order to and individuals acquire
develop skills and attitudes an awareness and
necessary to understand and sensitivity to the total
appreciate the inter-relatedness environment and its allied
among man, his culture, his problems.
biophysical surroundings.
Environmental education also entails Knowledge
practice in decision-making and self- o to help social groups and
formulation of a code of behaviour individuals gain a variety of
about issues concerning experience in, and acquire
environmental quality. a basic understanding of, the
environment and its
Environmental Education associated problems.
o it is the process of
recognising values and Attitudes
clarifying concepts in order to o to help social groups and
develop skills and attitudes individuals acquire a set of
necessary to understand and values and feelings of
appreciate the inter- concern for the environment
relatedness among man, his and the motivation for actively
culture, his biophysical participating in
surroundings. environmental improvement
and protection.
Goals of Environmental Education
o to foster clear awareness of, Skills
and concern about, economic, o to help social groups and
social, political, and ecological individuals acquire the skills
interdependence in urban and for identifying and solving
rural areas. environmental problems.
o to provide every person with
opportunities to acquire the Participation
knowledge, values, attitudes, o to provide social groups
commitment, and skills and individuals with an
needed to protect and opportunity to be actively
improve the environment involved at all levels in
o to create new patterns of working toward resolution of
behavior of individuals, environmental problems.
groups, and society as a
whole towards the Republic Act 9512
environment o mandates DepEd, CHED, and
TESDA in coordination with
DENR, DOST and other
 relevant agencies to lead the Training Corps (ROTC),
implementation of public Literacy Training Services
education and awareness (LTS), and Civic Welfare
programs on environmental Training Service (CWTS),
protection and conservation shall be involved in Green
through collaborative Philippines Activities.
interagency and multi-sectoral
effort at all levels. Example of Green Philippines
Activities
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 1. Taking back our forests
o is a process which is very 2. Beautifying our barangays
useful to human beings in and cities
order to manage well their 3. Building more urban parks
environment and instill the and recreation areas
right behavior that serves as 4. Purifying our water
the key to sustainable
development. It is also an Topic 2 | Philippine Environmental
opportunity especially for the Problems in Perspective
youth to participate actively in Philippine Environmental Problems in
making their respectively Perspective
locality clean and green, and The Philippine environment is
a pleasant place to live in. presently in crisis. The country’s rich
o encompasses “environmental landscape is experiencing a drastic
concepts and principles, decline on account of human
environmental laws, the state activities. Most of the country’s forest
of international and local cover is already depleted and about
environment, local 23 percent of the endemic species
environmental best practices, are threatened with extinction.
the threats of environmental Furthermore, poor environmental
degradation and its impact on quality has adversely affected human
human well-being, the health and welfare by lowering the
responsibility of the citizenry quality of life and resulting in
to the environment and the productivity loss.
value of conservation,
protection and rehabilitation of The onset of industrialization
natural resources and the played a critical role in the increase
environment in the context of of environmental problems in the
sustainable development. country. The growing need of
Filipinos to sustain themselves has
Executive Order 579 clearly taken its toll on the
o This Order provides that environment. Effluent from both
NSTP shall endeavor to build commercial and domestic activities
a new quality of life that will led to increasing levels of water
keep the nation young and pollution and frequent bouts of water
beautiful. scarcity. Human migration resulted in
o In order to ensure its the conversion of forest lands to
realization, all students under residential and industrial areas, and
NSTP, Reserve Officers' the demand for transportation
services and the increase in the Major rivers are heavily polluted with
number of factories and industrial both industrial and domestic effluent.
plants have all contributed to the o The effluent is in the form of
worsening air pollution. raw sewage, detergents,
fertilizer, heavy metals,
Recent tragedies brought chemical products, oils, and
about by natural disasters merely even solid waste.
highlight the country’s need to
enhance its efforts to protect and Major rivers are heavily polluted
rehabilitate the environment. These with both industrial and domestic
concerns must be brought to the effluent.
forefront of the country’s concerns o The Guimaras Oil Spill is
before the effects of human activities considered to be the worst oil
on the environment become spill in the
irreversible. history of the Philippines. A
reported 2.1 million liters of bunker
This module presents the fuel poured into the strait, resulting in
most serious environmental problems the destruction of the rich fishing
which the country is presently grounds in the surrounding areas and
experiencing. It is worth noting that adversely affecting the sanctuaries
the problems encompass all kinds of and mangrove reserves in the
natural resources. Guimaras Islands

PHILIPPINE Effects of Water Pollution

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN o destruction of the country’s
PERSPECTIVE groundwater, lakes, rivers,
and other coastal areas
Environmental Problems in Philippine o contaminated local fishing
Waters areas and severely affected
o THE PRIMARY the health of the people
ENVIRONMENTAL o water pollution affects
PROBLEM IN OUR freshwater availability.
COUNTRY’ S WATERS IS o habitat destruction
WATER POLLUTION.
o The increasing number of What can we do?
pollutants in the bodies of o Stricter effluent standards
water has led to the should be imposed on
destruction of the country’s companies and all those
groundwater, lakes, rivers, concerned.
and other coastal areas. o In the domestic sphere,
changes must be made in
Decline in water quality in the Pasig
people’s lifestyles in order to
River.
place domestic effluent under
o The Pasig River became a
control.
dumping ground for nearby o Violations of environmental
factories and villages.
laws involving the quality of
 the country’s water resources
must be addressed. THE EARTH IS WHAT WE ALL
HAVE IN COMMON.
Environmental Problems in -WENDELL BERRY
Forest Lands
o THE DEFORESTATION
PROBLEM IS ANOTHER
ISSUE THAT URGENTLY
NEEDS TO BE Green Laws
ADDRESSED THE REVISED FORESTRY CODE
o Increasing urbanization, o Although enacted in the
commercial logging, kaingin 1970s, it is still the primary
or slash and burn agriculture, law which governs the
and forest fires all contribute management, utilization, use,
to the country’s deforestation development, and protection
problem. of forest lands.
o There is also a rapid
conversion of forest lands CHAIN SAW ACT OF 2002
and grass lands to urban use o The law complements the
prompted by the needs of the Forestry Code and serves to
growing population. curb illegal logging by
o Inconsistent laws, inadequate regulating the use and
regulations, weak possession of a chain saw
enforcement, and lack of while punishing its illegal use,
adequate funding play given that chain saws are
significant roles in the rapid widely used in the destruction
decline of the country’s forest of the forest
lands
THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Effects of Problems in Forest Lands ACT
o severe soil erosion and water o The law covers all wildlife
pollution (e.g., river siltation) species found in all areas of
o destruction and habitat the country, including
conversion protected areas and critical
o ecological imbalance habitats. It shall also apply to
o air pollution and eye sore exotic species which are
subject to trade, are cultured,
What can we do? maintained, and/or bred in
o More needs to be done in captivity or propagated in the
country.
terms of environmental
protection and proper
THE NATIONAL INTEGRATED
implementation of
PROTECTED AREAS SYSTEM
environmental laws in order
(NIPAS) ACT
to stop the degradation of the
o NIPAS serves as the basis for
country’s forest lands and
prevent the loss of the classification and
biodiversity. administration of all
designated protected areas to
 maintain essential ecological waters. Since the Philippines
processes and life support is an archipelago, our
systems, to preserve genetic fisheries laws and other
diversity, to ensure bluelaws, in general, are
sustainable use of resources crucial in protecting our
found therein, and to maintain waters and marine resources.
their natural conditions to the
greatest extent possible. THE LAGUNA LAKE
THE PHILIPPINE MINING ACT OF DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
1995 & THE PEOPLE’S SMALL- (LLDA) ACT
SCALE MINING ACT o The LLDA was established to
o The laws that primarily govern lead, promote, and accelerate
mining activities in the sustainable development in
Philippines are RA No. 7942, the Laguna de Bay Region.
or the Mining Act of 1995, and Regulatory and law
RA No. 7076, or the People’s enforcement functions are
Small -Scale Mining Act. carried out with provisions on
o Large-scale mining environmental management,
operations, or those done with particularly on water quality
the use of heavy equipment monitoring, conservation of
and machineries, are primarily natural resources, and
under the control and community - based natural
supervision of the DENR and resource management
the Mines and Geosciences
Bureau (MGB). Brown Laws
o Small scale mining, or those THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND
done with small or artisanal HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR
tools, is generally regulated WASTES CONTROL ACT OF 1990
and under the supervision of o Enacted to regulate, restrict or
the DENR and the local prohibit the importation,
government units (LGUs), manufacture, processing,
through the specific sale, distribution, use and
Provincial/City Mining disposal of chemical
Regulatory Boards substances and mixtures that
(P/CMRBs) present unreasonable risk
and/or injury to health or the
Blue Laws environment.
THE PHILIPPINE FISHERIES CODE o The law covers the
OF 1998 importation, manufacture,
o The law seeks to manage the processing, handling, storage,
country’s fishery and aquatic transportation, sale,
resources in a manner distribution, use and disposal
consistent with an integrated of all unregulated chemical
coastal area management substances and mixtures in
and to protect the right of the Philippines, including the
fisherfolk, especially of the entry, even in transit, as well
local communities. The law as the keeping or storage and
applies to all Philippine disposal of hazardous and
 nuclear wastes into the the best environmental
country for whatever purpose. practice in ecological waste
management excluding
THE PHILIPPINE CLEAN AIR ACT incineration.
OF 1999
o According to this law, the The Climate Change Act of 2009
State shall formulate a holistic o The law aims to
national program of air systematically integrate the
pollution management that concept of climate change in
shall be implemented by the various phases of policy
government through proper formulation, development
delegation and effective plans, poverty reduction
coordination of functions and strategies and other
activities and shall focus development tools and
primarily on pollution techniques by all agencies
prevention rather than on and instrumentalities of the
control, and provide for a government. The Philippines
comprehensive management adopts the principle of
program for air pollution protecting the climate system
for the benefit of humankind,
THE PHILIPPINE CLEAN WATER on the basis of climate justice
ACT OF 2004 or common but differentiated
o The law says that the State responsibilities and the
shall pursue a policy of Precautionary Principle to
economic growth in a manner guide decision-making in
consistent with the protection, climate risk management.
preservation, and revival of
the quality of our fresh, Topic 3 | Environmental Principles
brackish, and marine waters. Basic Principles on the Right to the
The law specifically applies to Environment
the water quality management The Right to the Environment
in all water bodies, and that it is a fundamental right of each person
shall primarily apply to the and need not even be written in the
abatement and control of Constitution, for this right has existed
pollution from landbased since the inception of humankind. In
sources. the Philippine Constitution,
environmental protection is stated not
THE ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE in the Bill of Rights under Article III
MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000 but in the Declaration of State
o The law which primarily Policies under Article II.
governs waste management Nevertheless, the right to a healthful
in the Philippines. One of its ecology is recognized as iron-clad
declared policies is to ensure and no less demandable than those
the proper segregation, specifically enumerated in the Bill of
collection, transport, storage, Rights.
treatment and disposal of
solid waste through the BASIC PRINCIPLES ON THE RIGHT
formulation and adoption of TO THE ENVIRONMENT
- fundamental right of a person environmental protection. It
recognizes that development
No Harm Principle requires economic
o A state’s activities may be exploitation to satisfy the
transboundary in nature and needs of the growing
is also meant to balance the population while at the same
sovereign principle of states time protecting the
and require them to take environment for future
responsibility for their actions generations.
which cause harm outside o The concept of sustainable
their own territory. development seeks to
o The State has the achieve exploitation of
responsibility not to cause resources while leaving the
harm beyond the limits of its environment intact for the use
national jurisdiction. of future generations. There
must be optimal management
PRINCIPLE OF PREVENTION of natural resources.
o It aims to stop environmental
damage even before it occurs INTERGENERATIONAL EQUITY
or when it is critical and o Inter-generational Equity is
potential damage may already defined as “each generation’s
be irreversible. responsibility to leave an
o Action should be taken at an inheritance of wealth no less
early stage to reduce pollution than what they themselves
rather than wait for the have inherited.”
irreversible effects to occur. o Every generation has a
responsibility to the next to
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE preserve that rhythm and
o Where there are threats of harmony for the full
serious or irreversible enjoyment of a balanced and
damage, lack of full scientific healthful ecology.
certainty shall not be used as
a reason for postponing cost- The Seven Environmental Principles
effective measures to prevent The key to understanding the
environmental degradation. environmental problems that we
o This principle advocates that encounter today is to learn about our
the potential harm should be ecosystem. This section highlights
addressed even with minimal the basic environmental principles,
predictability at hand. The varied types of ecosystem, current
Precautionary Principle environmental issues, anthropogenic
requires a high degree of activities that threaten the
prudence on the part of the environment and the role of youth in
stakeholders. protecting our environment.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THE SEVEN ENVIRONMENTAL

o It addresses the need to PRINCIPLES ADAPTED FROM BARRY
COMMONER, AS COMPILED BY MIRIAM
reconcile issues of COLLEGE
development and
 has affected these natural
1. Nature Knows Best changes often to a
o This principle is the most problematic extent.
basic and in fact Environmental technologies
encompasses all the others. should be given priority if
o Humans have to understand humans would want more
nature and have to abide by positive changes in the
the rules nature dictates. In environment.
essence, one must not go
against the natural process if
one would like to ensure a 5. Everything must go
continuous and steady supply somewhere
of resources o When a piece of paper is
thrown away, it disappears
2. All forms of life are important from sight but it does not
o Each organism plays a cease to exist. It ends up
fundamental role in nature. elsewhere. What a particular
Since such occupational or type of waste does to the
functional position, otherwise earth’s repository should be of
known as niche, cannot be concern to us. Since wastes
simultaneously occupied by are not lost to oblivion, and
more than one specie, it is even goes back to one's own
apparent that all living things backyard in some other
must be considered as forms, it is important that one
invaluable in the maintenance becomes aware of the
of homeostasis in the different types of wastes –
ecosystem. whether they are hazardous
or not.
3. Everything is connected to
everything else 6. Ours is a finite earth
o This principle is best o Awareness of the earth’s
exemplified by the concept of limited resources leads to a
the ecosystem. In an conscious effort to change
ecosystem, all biotic and one’s consumerist attitude as
amniotic components interact well as to develop processes
with each other to ensure that and technology that would
the system is perpetuated. bring about effective recycling
Any outside interference may of a great number of
result in an imbalance and the resources. It is essential to
deterioration of the system. know how much of a resource
can be consumed at a given
4. Everything Changes time to balance the rate of
o It is said that the only exploitation with the rate of
permanent thing is change. replenishment.
The environment is constantly
changing. Organisms also 7. Nature is beautiful and we are
evolve through time. steward of God’s creation
However, human technology
o Among all creatures, humans
are the only ones made in
God’s image and have been
given the right to have
dominion over all His
creations. Being the most
intelligent and gifted with no
reason, humans are capable
of manipulating creation to
their own advantage. Yet,
creation exists not to be
ravaged or abused but to be
taken care of. Humans cannot
exist without nature. They are
co-natural with the
environment they live in.