Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu e no Programa de Educação para a Ciência da Faculdade de Ciências de Bauru, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” - UNESP.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This theoretical essay proposes a critical reflection on environmental education through the articulation of different theoretical perspectives that converge in the defense of overcoming socio-environmental inequalities and affirming life as a central organizing principle. The discussion is grounded in critiques of modern rationality and the coloniality of knowledge, which sustain ontological, epistemological, and political hierarchies responsible for environmental degradation and the deepening of social inequalities. Methodologically, the study is based on a theoretical and bibliographic analysis, adopting an essayistic approach informed by decolonial thought, critical interculturality, critical and syntropic environmental education, Buen Vivir, and ecofeminism. The analysis demonstrates that, despite emerging from distinct contexts, these perspectives share critiques of the separation between humanity and nature, the capitalist development model, and instrumental science oriented toward accumulation. As a result, the essay highlights the potential of these approaches to foster more plural, dialogical, and socially just educational horizons. It concludes that environmental education, when grounded in relational ontologies and non-hegemonic epistemologies, can contribute to formative processes committed to the reproduction of life, collectivity, and the reconfiguration of relationships between society, science, and nature.
DOI: 10.32905/xsqz2p52
Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7204965913