Environmental Education in Brazil: legal frameworks and curriculum implementation

Abstract

Since the Industrial Revolution, in the 18th century, our predatory relationship with the environment has been getting worse, leading to the extinction of natural resources and serious pollution problems. Therefore, from the 1950s onwards, many discussions, negotiations, and great advances were achieved in order to minimize such impacts. A new concept of economic development, combined with the awareness that the solution to environmental problems lies in education, shaped environmental legislation at the end of the 20th century. This research brings a historical overview of the origins and consolidation of Environmental Education in Brazil and the world, from the first discussions about human impacts on the environment, through the outcomes of the main international conferences, to its legal implementation in Brazil, including the National Environmental Policy (PNMA) of 1981, the Federal Constitution of 1988, the National Environmental Education Program (PRONEA) of 1994, the National Environmental Education Policy (PNEA) of 1999, and the National Curriculum Guidelines for Education Environmental Education (DCNEA) of 2012. Through this bibliographic and documentary review, the fundamentals of Environmental Education are presented and the challenges to its implementation in the curricula of Brazilian educational institutions are discussed.