The Thessaloniki Declaration: A Wake-Up Call for Environmental Education?

Abstract

In December of 1997, an international conference was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Tbilisi Doctrine and to reorient education for sustainability in the 21st century. The culmination of this event was the Thessaloniki Declaration—a charter for the future of education for sustainability. In only 2 of the 29 statements made in the Declaration was the term environmental education mentioned. One of those references suggested that environmental education be referred to as education for environment and sustainability. The author believes that this scant use of the term environmental education indicates that the term is finding decreasing support in the international community. The author reviews reasons why environmental education's position is in peril and offers a status report on the current criticisms and weaknesses of environmental education. The author outlines several important strategies that must be implemented to preserve the name and the concept of environmental education for decades to come.