The turning point in promoting and developing environmental education (EE) in the Caribbean, as in many other regions of the world, was the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, organized by the United Nations in 1972. This conference, which was catalysed by alarm at the social and environmental consequences of the growth of technology, resulted in several new environmental agencies being formed and existing agencies adding environmental education to their mandates.
 
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNESCO; UNEP) together launched the International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) in 1975 (NRCD 1983). This programme emphasized training professionals, including teachers, organizers of informal activities for young people and adults, administrative personnel, educational planners, and researchers into the environment. It also emphasized developing educational and methodological guidelines.