General context.In a period having a surprising development of science and technology there is a real danger that an increasing part of European and extra European population (and, of course, of young people) becomes culturally emarginated and cannot consciously participate to a political or social debate concerning crucial topics such as biotechnologies, GMOs, power plants, greenhouse effect, deterioration of environment where we live, sustainable development, globalization etc. Not educated individuals may be influenced by an incorrect, partial, partisan information and may not be able to choose by themselves or look for other information, because they did not develop the needed abilities and intellectual skills, through a critical and sound science-based thinking. This, as already noticed, requires the change of quite diffused paradigms about the absoluteness of scientific knowledge and a different way of teaching science, respectful of individual beliefs and based on stimulating and helping the individual construction of meanings more than on the transmission of uncritically structured topics. Objectives:A renewed form of Science Education should be developed at any level and to the purpose of :- providing with information - building knowledge and methods - stimulating creative and critical thinking needed for: 1. understanding natural phenomena2. economic decisions, science and technology development together their fall-out on daily life3. discussing some controversial issues such as the "myth" of sustainable development, so displayed at any level and its implications, suggesting new models (adaptative development) to match human needs and environment protection.Partnership involves different subjects (researchers, teachers and teacher students) at various levels (local, regional and international level). The applied method is the following: preparation of a scenario; posing suitable questions; putting people (teachers, students, pupils) in problematic situations; discussion about possible (not conventional) solutions. Critical and creative thinking is needed especially for coping with new and old environmental problems according to the point of view of an adaptative development. This means a challenge for environmental education. We discuss some examples.