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Ecological Citizenship and Climate Change: Role of Education in Public Health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2022

Fides A. del Castillo*
Affiliation:
Department of Theology and Religious Education, College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines
*
Corresponding author: Fides A. del Castillo, Email: fidesdelcastillo@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Type
Letter to the Editor
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

In the recent editorial, the editor discussed the intersection of disaster medicine with climate change and health. Reference James1 It was pointed out that climate change is among the major issues in health care today. As a result, people fall into poverty at a faster rate, affecting the health of all humans. The calamities brought about by climate change cause income loss, asset losses, unemployment, deterioration in well-being, illness, and even death in the affected communities. Reference Hallegatte, Fay and Barbier2 People, primarily the poor and marginalized, are vulnerable to environmental shocks and extreme natural disasters.

To adapt to climate shocks and their impacts, a call for ecological citizenship has been made in education. Reference Francis3 It aims to not only provide information in managing ecological crises, but also to transform information into action and ecological commitment. It is the responsibility of local authorities to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Reference Woodhall, Landeg and Kovats4 Different approaches are taken to dealing with the health impacts of climate change, and the importance of public health arguments for adaptation also varies.

However, this researcher argues that educational institutions can also play an important role in slowing down the deliberative effects of climate change on society and the poor. Through the integration of ecological education in a variety of settings, students can develop a sensitivity to environmental problems and the needs of the marginalized in society. Reference Baring, del Castillo and Guanzon5 By becoming aware of the importance of ecology and developing ways to restore the various levels of ecological equilibrium, students and teachers are able to appreciate the love of the planet. To combat climate change, the inclusion of environmental lessons in the curriculum must be encouraged to engage students and the community. Additionally, there is an emphasis on integrating environmental awareness into all subjects, inculcating values such as love of home and world, and conducting service-learning research on waste management.

Education institutions can play a key role in adapting to climate change by responding to climate crises. Through community extension, collaboration, and cooperation with local authorities, public health institutions, and other private organizations, meaningful service activities can be performed. Learning involves both knowing and acting. Thus, academic institutions can contribute to the development of ecological citizenship among students and community members and also ensure sound environmental practices for the benefit of all, especially vulnerable individuals.

References

James, J. The intersection of disaster medicine with climate and health. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2021;15(5):535-536. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2021.324 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hallegatte, S, Fay, M, Barbier, EB. Poverty and climate change: introduction. Environ Dev Econ. 2018;23(3):217-233. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1355770x18000141 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francis, P. Laudato Si. On Care for the Common Home. Dicastero per la Comunicazione—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Published 2015. Accessed March 10, 2022. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html Google Scholar
Woodhall, SC, Landeg, O, Kovats, S. Public health and climate change: how are local authorities preparing for the health impacts of our changing climate? J Public Health (Oxf). 2021;43(2):425-432. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdz098 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baring, R, del Castillo, F, Guanzon, M. Climate change and service learning in light of “Laudato Si”: reviewing educators’ perceptions. Int J Clim Change Impacts Responses. 2020;12(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.18848/1835-7156/cgp/v12i01/1-12 CrossRefGoogle Scholar