Sustainable education: altering the opinions on renewable energy sources

Inna Čábelková,Alexandr Platitsyn,Viktor Blaginin,Wadim Strielkowski,W Strielkowski,E Animitsa,E Dvoryadkina

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202020809001

Abstract

Our paper studies the link between the education and the people’s opinions and views of the renewable energy sources (RES). We employ the representative data (1026 respondents) from the Czech Republic. Our empirical model did not reveal any associations between the subjective opinion on the respondents about the possibility to replace electricity generation from conventional sources (such as coal-fired or gas-fired power plants, nuclear power plants or large hydroelectric power plants) with the electricity from wind, solar radiation and biomass combustion. In addition, there seemed to be no correlation between the usage of renewable energy in the Czech Republic and the education of the respondents. However, there are strong significant association between the level of education of the respondents and the existence of opinions on the RES. Higher education means higher probability of the existence of such an opinion. Almost one third of the respondents with primary education did not have an opinion on the topic. This might be caused by an increasing interest in RES of people with higher level of education as they are likely to be more open to all discussions on the socially relevant issues in general. The lack of association between which opinion people have and their level of education is likely to indicate the marginal role of explaining the importance of RES in education.

Highlights

Nowadays, when the threats to climate change are becoming obvious, an increasing number of people worldwide are getting strongly favour clean energy sources over fossil fuels, and that belief transcends party lines and other viewpoints [1,2].the public acceptance of the renewable energy sources (RES) might vary with the age, income, and, most notably, the level of education [3,4]
The results of the empirical model that was briefly explained above are presented and explained. It appears that our hypotheses 1 and 2 about the relation between the opinion on renewables in the Czech Republic and the possibility to replace the electricity produced from traditional sources with renewables on one side and education of the respondents on the other side were not confirmed
Our paper examined the opinion people have on renewable energy sources and sustainable development and their level of education

Summary

Introduction

Nowadays, when the threats to climate change are becoming obvious, an increasing number of people worldwide are getting strongly favour clean energy sources over fossil fuels, and that belief transcends party lines and other viewpoints [1,2].the public acceptance of the renewable energy sources (RES) might vary with the age, income, and, most notably, the level of education [3,4]. The aim of the sustainable education is to educate students (and the members of the general public) about the need for sustainable development by involving them in all aspects of teaching, research and services [8] This means equipping them with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to build a sustainable future. It means reorienting the education system to help people think and act in a way that promotes a more sustainable planet To this end, students should engage in authentic interdisciplinary learning activities, cultivate critical and creative thinking skills, and develop a value system that emphasizes responsibility for oneself and others and the planet, as well as respect for the environment and human rights. This is very crucial for forming the future economic and business culture in any country that would lead to the transparent business morale and fair practices which is often a problem [9,10]

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Results

Conclusion