ABSTRACT
Education, professional training and public information concerning environmental problems were recognized at the World Conference on the Environment in Rio de Janeiro (1972) and at the Summit in Johannesburg (2002) as among the prerequisites for the transition to sustainable development and for dealing with the problems of the future survival and prosperity of mankind. It is essential that key decision-makers and also a significant part of the general public have appropriate environmental knowledge. However, just 10 years ago there was no common understanding in Russia as to what kind of training was necessary for experts dealing with the diverse and complex problems of the interrelations between society and nature. Environmental education was not prescribed by legislation, although there have always been links between education in general, environmental education and education for sustainable development (ESD) (Kasimov et al., 2002a, 2002b).
