A Study on the Relationship Between Education and Environmental Performance (With an Emphasis on Iran's Status)

The problem of environmental protection has been one of the most important movements in the late 20th and early 21th century. It has had comprehensive and profound effects on international thoughts and actions. Both the developing and the developed countries have left their own types of destructive effects on the environment. These effects result from their socio-economic indicators. This paper studies the relationship between education as a social development indicator and environmental protection from 2006 to 2012. The theoretical approach is based on the ecological behavior theory developed by Fishbein, Ajzen, and Heinz et al. The theory argues that education and knowledge as well as general values and social norms determine necessary changes in environmental behaviors. Methodologically, the study was conducted using documentary method, HDR international secondary data analysis, and EPI data analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS. The results show a high correlation between education indicators and environmental performance. This means that countries with higher educational status have a higher position in terms of optimum environmental performance.