Racismo ambiental no ensino de química: Um caminho para a justiça ambiental

Abstract

This study investigates the teaching of Chemistry, emphasizing compliance with the Brazilian Environmental Education Law (Law 9.795/1999), highlighting the confrontation of Environmental Racism and the importance of addressing socio-environmental inequalities that mainly affect Black, Indigenous, and marginalized populations. The main objective was to analyze how Chemistry teaching can be used to promote a critical and contextualized education that values Environmental Justice and raises students’ awareness of real problems in the territories where they live. The methodology adopted was qualitative and theoretical-reflective in nature, based on a literature review and the development of a structured questionnaire in three dimensions: conceptual, curricular, and propositional. Although it was not applied due to the absence of ethical authorization, the questionnaire allowed for an anticipatory analysis of the challenges and potentialities of incorporating this theme in schools. The results indicate that there are gaps in teacher education and in the integration of Environmental Racism into the school curriculum, but also reveal opportunities for more interdisciplinary and socially engaged pedagogical practices. It is concluded that Chemistry, when addressing Environmental Education content and in accordance with Environmental Education legislation allied to critical Environmental Education, can significantly contribute to the formation of conscious and active students, thus becoming an instrument of social transformation and a means of combating structural inequalities present in the Brazilian educational and environmental context