Why educating young minds matters

Kehkashan Basu is the founder and president of youth organisation Green Hope and the Youth Ambassador of World Future Council.
As a student in school, she tells Khaleej Times why it's the future generations that matter the most when it comes to sustaining Earth.
"Planet Earth and its citizens are at the edge of a precipice and yet we remain blissfully oblivious to this impending danger. Unchecked devastation of our planet's natural resources coupled with the systemic increase in pollution levels are driving up the mercury levels every year.
Also read:Make sustainable thinking a habit
 
Economic progress is being achieved at the cost of the environment and the society , putting our future sustenance at risk. These "future generations" will certainly inherit a planet that cannot sustain its citizens, unless the current rates of un-sustainable consumption patterns are changed. But this change will not occur unless we are engaged and empowered. This problem cannot be solved by legislation alone and it must engage civil society through inclusivity and outreach building mechanisms. Education has been identified as the key factor required to achieve sustainable development. Our education system and curricula need to embrace sustainability and its core processes, in order to reach out to the future generations from an early age."
Did you know?
Students in Dubai will soon be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables for consumption, as well as pass directly from class-room to classroom in an open-air learning landscape.
In 2017, Sustainable City, the region's first energy efficient and fully integrated sustainable community, will open Dubai's first fully eco-friendly school.
It will move many of the functions of the school away from artificial air-conditioned rooms and out into a naturally-ventilated, cool, green environment.