La protección del medio ambiente y la salud, un desafío social y ético actual

this paper was aimed at presenting the involvement of the human beings in the deterioration of environment and its negative impact in their health status; additionally, it dealt with the positive influence of environmental education in the preservation of the environment, taking as a basis the information available in yearbooks and the review of research outcomes. the ecological deterioration worldwide has become more acute in the last few years and this situation has been caused by indiscriminate use of the natural resources together with the lack of interest by the countries which are responsible for these serious conditions affecting nature, the society and the human being′s health. the poor countries and the developing nations are the most affected with the destruction of the environment. at the same time, the democratic and progressive governments and peoples face with their actions and ideas included in social humanistic projects the selfish and detrimental use of the environment by the powerful nations. mitigating the damage to nature and preserving the natural resources as well as the human species is an urging challenge for the mankind, all of which requires humanistic moral and ecological values-supported ethical behaviour that should be integrated to the environmental education.