A educação ambiental como instrumento de transformação ética e como possibilidade de direcionamento de consumo

Abstract

Contemporary society is experiencing an environmental crisis started since the late modern age and outcome of the economic model (capitalism), that in spite of having served the driver of technological and scientific development, has led to environmental degradation, giving rise to environmental movements. One of the factors that inspires care is the new conception of social relations, called post-modernity, according to which what matters is the present, absorbing the maximum resources available at the moment without worrying about the future consequences. It also appears that there is a reluctance to accept voluntary standards regarding the environment by society, revealing a gap between the world of facts in the legal world, which translates into ineffectiveness of environmental standards. Important to consider the problem of binge drinking which, together with the production of goods, is one of the pillars of the capitalist system. However, it appears that the true essence of capitalism is to serve as access to economic power, ie, the company follows the rules dictated by the capitalist system because they crave power. So the crucial question is to find a way to work within the logic of the capitalist system, reversing the unfavorable situation for the environment. One of the tools to succeed in this business is environmental education. Making a historical review, a constitutional perspective, education has evolved over the history of Brazil, being considered as a right and a fundamental guarantee. The national legislation of environmental education, compared to the laws of Argentina, shows up much more structured and has been positively valued the National Environmental Education. Environmental education is an instrument of ethical transformation in the sense of changing paradigms, considering man as part of nature, but without denying the rationality that distinguishes it from other living beings. Environmental education, changing the way society views nature, by natural consequence, alters the pattern of consumption, driving the market and the capitalist system itself to produce consumer goods that do not harm the environment, contributing to an ecologically balanced.