EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL EM PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICA: FUNDAMENTOS, TRILHAS METODOLÓGICAS E DESAFIOS PARA A CIDADANIA ECOLÓGICA

The literature review investigates the historical, political, and pedagogical foundations that have shaped Environmental Education (EE) over the centuries. Guided by the question of how scientific output from 2000-2024 interprets these milestones, the study pursues five objectives: analysing the “Environmental Education: Student in Action” proposal; reconstructing the protectionist-conservationist-sustainabilist trajectory; and discussing EE’s role in building sustainable societies. Methodologically, it employs a qualitative-interpretive design inspired by Creswell—defining the focus, searching national and international databases, applying eligibility criteria, coding with Zotero/MAXQDA, and validating findings through peer review. Of the initial 642 records, 54 were synthesised, enabling the reconstruction of three historical macro-periods and their contemporary reverberations. The historical rereading begins with Portuguese colonisation, passes through the rise of British preservationists, the institutionalisation of national parks, and the North-American conservationist turn, culminating in global debates on growth limits and sustainable development. This trajectory reveals continuities and ruptures in the society–nature relationship and shows how key conferences—from Stockholm ’72 to Tbilisi ’77—redefined EE’s principles, objectives, and strategies. In the recent panorama, Brazil’s expansion stands out, driven by universities, social movements, and virtual networks that position EE as a promoter of ethical-ecological rationality and an agenda linking environmental prudence, social justice, and economic viability. The study concludes that EE is not an appendix but the guiding thread of socio-environmental struggles. By weaving together science, values, and political action, it transforms every classroom into a laboratory of critical citizenship, converting historical memory into practical hope for the planetary challenges that deepen in the twenty-first century.