Climate Change: Causes, Effects and the Need for Science Education for Sustainable Development

Abstract

The world we live in has witnessed some drastic environmental imbalance in recent times. These imbalances have threatened sustainable development- which is the ultimate goal of man-environment relationship. This paper reviews the causes and effects of climate change on man and his environment with a view to using science education to solve the problems posed by climate change. Literature shows that climate change results mainly from human activities such as rapid deforestation for agricultural and industrial purposes, carbon dioxide emission from fossil fuel burning, carbon dioxide emission from burning gasoline for transportation, usage of chemical fertilizers on croplands and methane emission from animals, agriculture and arctic sea beds. The consequences of these activities include global warming, ozone layer depletion, greenhouse effect, rising sea level and acid rain. It is recommended here that the whole educational process be re-packaged to emphasize science education as a panacea for sustainable development. The argument here is that the educational institutions are the best media for the inculcation of proper morals and values. It is also recommended that teacher education programmes should allocate more funds to research in, and teaching of science in schools.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n8p35