Environmental Education: A Pivot to Healthy Environment and Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Contemporarily, man has undertaken a lot of activities that have adverse effects on the environment wherein he dwells. The effects of those activities became so intense that the health and hospitality of the environment began to degrade. In Nigeria, environmental health related issues are becoming a major concern of the people and the government with exacerbated environmental challenges such as flooding, air pollution, water pollution, oil spillage, deforestation, desertification, climate change and other environmental issues. Premised on this background, this paper analyses the situation, gives an open view to the matter of health, clearly discusses the subject ‘environment familiarizes you with the practical relationship between health and environment', and the concept of Environmental Education.The paper discusses the conceptual meaning of Education, Environmental Education and Healthy Environment. In addition, it established various ways environmental education will enhance healthy environment in Nigeria. The study seeks to identify and examine the impacts of environmental education on healthy environment in Nigeria; it established the nexus between Environmental Education and Healthy Environment. The data for this study were collected through secondary sources. The secondary data were obtained from textbooks, journals, newspapers, internet materials and literature from academic journals in relation to the subject studied. The paper explored thematic and the descriptive method on approaching the arising issues. The study adopted Community Development Theory as a theoretical framework. The paper concludes that health, they say is wealth; for any nation to experience sustainable development, her environment must be the kind that is friendly with her citizens; it must be free all forms disease or epidemics. To this end, the paper concludes by recommending various steps that could be taken to reposition the environment towards making it healthy and hospitable through the introduction of environmental education in school’s curriculum at all levels in Nigeria. Keywords: Education, Environment, Health, Environmental, Living, Development