Education and the marine environmental issue: a historical review of research fields and the popularization on conservation and management of the sea and ocean in Brazil

Worldwide initiatives have been promoting awareness on marine environmental issues. In Brazil Maritime Mentality Program arises from political disputes over the right to use maritime spaces, Coastal Marine Environmental Education shares the same theoretical basis as Environmental Education and Ocean Literacy appears in the USA and became globally widespread after its inclusion as one goal of Ocean Decade. Based on a literature review this article gives a panorama of the history, working groups, institutional links, theoretical framework and impact of the published material of these three working fields. The conclusion is that the conceptual framework of all three is limited and do not address the deep causes of environmental degradation which is the current social-political-economic system.

Automated summary

Worldwide initiatives are raising awareness on marine environmental issues. Programs like the Brazil Maritime Mentality, Coastal Marine Environmental Education, and Ocean Literacy in the USA have contributed to this effort. However, a literature review suggests that their conceptual frameworks do not address the underlying causes of environmental degradation posed by the current socio-political-economic system.