Environmental Awareness and Environmental Citizenship Dimension

Abstract

The world development shows that global problems are still not being solved adequately. If we maintain this way of development the survival of humanity on the Earth will be impossible in future. In this context, the environmental awareness, disseminative global responsibility as well as environmental dimension of citizenship, are discussed today with the raising importance. In this paper we are going to examine and analyse the concept of environmental awareness. These empirically based facts will be reflected, analysed and put into the context with the environmental citizenship concepts. At the end we are going to present the results of the Eurobarometer surveys focused on the relationship of the EU citizens to environment and their environmental awareness and evaluate the current state in this area. The main findings have shown that environmental awareness of European citizens is raising, but it still does not have the appropriate level. This can have highly negative impact on the environment in this era of environmental crises and deepening environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to make serious steps to improve current situation, as environmental awareness is the precondition to achieve the change, which has to start from each individual.