Developing the environmental competence of young people as a social function of the education system

The study discusses the development of environmental competence in Russian young people in the context of their social activity. The purpose of the study is to reveal the essence of environmental competence from a sociological perspective. The methodological basis comprises the principles of the eco-humanitarian development paradigm for the culture of personality and competency-based and institutional approaches to education. The following methods have been applied: generalization, analytical and synthetic activities, questionnaire, expert interviews, and modeling. The research notes that various external and internal factors affect the development of environmental competence; they should be coordinated in the environmental education. The author emphasizes the relevance of environment-focused social practices that help tackle modern environmental contradictions, create a high level of environmental competence of young people in particular and the population in general, ensure environmental safety and social stability, prevent social and environmental conflicts and, thereby, improve the quality of life. The author shows that environmental policy plays an important role in increasing the environmental engagement of young people and developing their environmental competence.