The subject of education and environment is the chief agenda of the green debate. The environment can no longer be viewed as a separate entity from education. Environmental degradation is of many types and has severe consequences. Lessening exposure to environmental risk factors by enhancing air quality and access to improved sources of drinking and bathing water, sanitation, and clean energy is found to be associated with significant health benefits and can contribute significantly to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals of environmental sustainability, health, and development. In this paper, an attempt is made to describe the national and global causes and consequences of environmental degradation and the role of Education in sustaining the environment. In modern society, education plays an important role in the economic and social development of the country and the promotion of National integration. Through education, one may develop the capacity to think rationally and logically and to cope with transitions, stress, sufferings, and losses that occur in our lives. India is challenged by both environmental degradation and economic growth. These challenges are directly linked with the conservation and maintenance of life-supporting systems such as land, water, air, and biological diversity. The major causes of environmental degradation are population growth, industrialization, changes in consumption patterns, and poverty which are threatening the dynamic equilibrium. In an effort to think of these issues, environmental education for sustainable development is emerging as the need of the hour to encourage students of higher education to conserve and protect the natural environment along with their studies. The present paper is aimed at describing the causes of environmental degradation and suggestions to eliminate the causes of environmental degradation.
