Geography and Sustainable Development in Teaching and Education in Argentina

Abstract

The world is witnessing dramatic changes and undergoing processes of serious ­environmental deterioration and pollution. The irrational exploitation of natural resources has generated restlessness and concern for future generations and has forced scientists and politicians all over the world to include topics such as the environment, sustainable development and education in the agendas of international meetings and conferences held to protect the environment and address environment-related issues. At first, discussions were focused on uncontrolled population growth resulting in food scarcity, increasing urbanisation, shortage of drinking water supplies, indiscriminate deforestation, soil erosion, the advance of desertification, and the use of fossil fuel, that is, a great number of problems that needed to be studied and solved. Many of the resources we use are non-renewable and, therefore, a rational exploitation is required. The conflicting and changing world in which we live needs more than ever education and the contribution of different disciplines, including geography, in order to achieve sustainable development.

Translated by Prof. Mirta Rena de Kahn. School of Philosophy and Literature, University National of Cuyo.