ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE WORLD AND ITS DELAY IN BRAZIL: A NECESSARY REVIEW FOR YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION

Environmental Education emerged globally as a response to the post-World War II environmental crisis, consolidating itself through United Nations (UN) events such as Stockholm (1972), Belgrade (1975), and Tbilisi (1977), which defined its interdisciplinary principles. These conferences also led to the creation of a dedicated body, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the International Environmental Education Program (IEEP). In Brazil, however, its trajectory was marked by institutional disinterest, delays, omissions, and a reductionist approach, especially during the military-civil authoritarian regime, which prioritized economic growth over sustainability. Pioneering initiatives in the 1950s and 1960s, Environmental Education was only institutionalized beautifully, with the redemocratization process and the Eco-92 conference, when the country assumed international commitments and created the National Environmental Education Program (PRONEA, in Portuguese ) in 1994. Despite, its implementation within Basic Education institutions remained fragile, with gaps in teacher training and educational practice. This history has left generations of adults with a distorted or nonexistent environmental education, particularly in Youth and Adult Education (YAE), where the challenge is to overcome outdated views and promote a critical and contextualized Environmental Education. To achieve this, it is essential to align public policies with international guidelines, ensuring that Environmental Education is transversal, participatory, and capable of addressing Brazil's socio-environmental inequalities.