Perception of teachers and students about the environmental impacts associated with mining

Abstract

Mining has international economic importance and can contribute to the economic development of many countries. However, the socio-environmental impacts associated with this activity are well known. Recognizing these impacts, part of the mining companies develops Environmental Education (EA) programs through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions. The geographical outline of this study was the municipality of Congonhas, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, inserted in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, one of the largest iron ore provinces in the world. The aim of the study was to explore how the current perception of teachers and students in the municipal school system contributes to a critical participation in CSR programs. Qualitative and quantitative analyzes, including factor reduction (Principal Component Analysis) and Cluster (K-means), were employed. The results show that teachers and students are unaware of CSR activities and 71% of teachers work self-taught Environmental Education, without any academic background. For the current perception of actors to contribute to their critical participation in CSR programs, it is necessary to address the perception instrument in environmental projects through participatory methodologies.