In preparation for hosting COP-30, the world’s largest climate event, the city of Belém has implemented significant measures to integrate environmental education into public schools. With an ambitious and innovative goal, more than 4,000 teachers have been trained to teach the subject to approximately 500,000 students of varying ages across the schools of Pará. This marks Pará as the first state in Brazil to make environmental education mandatory across all grade levels, from age 6 through high school.
Launched in 2024, this initiative introduces weekly environmental education lessons, exposing children to essential concepts such as sustainability, environmental preservation, and material reuse practices. One of the most inspiring examples of this effort is the recycling of electronic waste in schools, where discarded items are transformed into components for building robots. This practice not only raises awareness among students about proper waste disposal but also fosters technological skills and promotes inclusion, especially for students with special needs.
Another crucial element introduced into the school curriculum is education on carbon credits and the carbon market. These concepts, increasingly important in the global fight against climate change, are now part of the learning content in Belém schools. Teaching students what carbon credits are and how they function in the global emissions compensation market is key to raising environmentally conscious citizens who understand the impact of their actions and the role of public and private policies in mitigating global warming.
Belém and Carbon Credits
Carbon credits represent a concrete way for companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by investing in reforestation projects, forest conservation, renewable energy, and other initiatives that promote carbon reduction in the atmosphere. By teaching these concepts from an early age, schools in Belém help prepare future generations to understand and eventually engage in this market, either as professionals involved in sustainable projects or as conscious consumers who recognize the importance of environmental compensation.
For the specialists involved, environmental education goes beyond the classroom walls. It must be a continuous process, encompassing both formal learning within the school and practical activities and experiences outside of it. At one public school in Belém, for instance, the schoolyard has been transformed into an open-air classroom, where for over a decade, students have been learning about sustainability and food waste recycling. In another example, agroforestry techniques are taught to help students understand the natural cycle of organic resources, fostering a more active and conscious approach to environmental conservation.
In addition to recycling and agroforestry practices, students learn to grow plants without soil and to compost food waste. These activities are part of an integrated curriculum aimed at raising awareness among students about the importance of forests and the environment to human life.
In classrooms, illustrated books and educational materials on environmental topics further reinforce these concepts, planting the seeds of an eco-friendly and civic-minded mindset. The central goal of this educational policy is to foster a closer relationship between people and natural resources, ensuring that future generations are better prepared to tackle global environmental challenges.
As the COP-30 approaches, Belém positions itself not only as the host city of the event but also as an example of commitment to sustainability and education. By spreading environmental knowledge among children and young people, the city takes an important step toward cultivating environmentally conscious and active citizens, while also promoting understanding and participation in global mechanisms like the carbon market.
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