Envisage the future and communicate it in art and poetry

During the last decade there has been a global effort, led by UNESCO, to advance �education for sustainable development�.    This is a broad global movement. It is concerned with identifying and advancing the kinds of education, teaching and learning policy and practice that are required for ensuring the well-being of future generations.  More than ever before life is characterized by a connectedness to the global community.

This shift in focus is a result of many factors, including changing political and economic alliances, expanded access to information technologies, and an increasing frequency of natural and human-caused disasters. These and other events have given new meaning to the term �global village,� which was coined in the 1960s by Marshall McLuhan. International trade agreements create access to new commodities and new markets; the Internet allows instant contact, virtually anywhere on the Earth; events that were once distant now have an almost immediate impact upon us. Drought in California and frost in Columbia increase the cost of juice and coffee in our neighbourhood supermarket; nuclear accidents can contaminate the Earth�s atmosphere in a matter of days.

It is also important to note that the global village is becoming a global megalopolis. In October 1999, the Earth�s population exceeded six billion people � double what it was in 1960. Each day we add another quarter million people to our numbers.  Given that these babies will become the next generation of adults, it is vital that they are educated about sustainability issues so they can be critically aware of the problems and take positive action to help preserve their future in a rapidly changing world.

See also: http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=311554