: This article aims to show the biggest environmental problems facing humanity in the contemporary era, to demonstrate the need to replace the current development model for the sustainable development model and to specify the necessary measures to overcome the biggest environmental problems, among which includes education for sustainable development..

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EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE XXI CENTURY
Fernando Alcoforado 
Abstract: This article aims to show the biggest environmental problems facing humanity in the contemporary era, to
demonstrate the need to replace the current development model for the sustainable development model and to specify
the necessary measures to overcome the biggest environmental problems, among which includes education for
sustainable development..
Resumo: Este artigo tem por objetivo mostrar os maiores problemas ambientais enfrentados pela humanidade na era
contemporânea, demonstrar a necessidade de substituição do modelo de desenvolvimento atual pelo modelo de
desenvolvimento sustentável e especificar as medidas necessárias para superação dos maiores problemas ambientais,
entre as quais se inclui a educação para o desenvolvimento sustentável.
Keywords: Sustainable development. Depletion of natural resources of planet Earth. Global warming.
Environmental education.
Palavras-chave: Desenvolvimento sustentável. Exaustão dos recursos naturais do planeta Terra. Aquecimento
global. Educação ambiental.
1. Introduction
Humanity faces the XXI century with two huge problems: 1) the exhaustion of natural
resources of planet Earth; and, 2) global warming and the consequent catastrophic
climate change. These problems demonstrate the unsustainability of the current
development model. The facts of life are showing more and more the need for the
paradigm that has guided the development of human society since the 1st. Industrial
Revolution be profoundly modified. This situation shows the need for there are changes
in the paradigm that has guided the current development process because it is largely
responsible for the compromising of environment of the entire planet Earth. To avoid
the catastrophic future that portends for humanity resulting of exhaustion of natural
resources of the planet Earth and global warming, it is essential to implement the
sustainable development model, which aims to meet the current needs of the earth's
population without compromising their natural resources and the environment,
bequeathing them to future generations.
2. Depletion of natural resources of the planet Earth

Fernando Alcoforado, member of the Bahia Academy of Education, engineer and doctor of Territorial
Planning and Regional Development from the University of Barcelona, a university professor and
consultant in strategic planning, business planning, regional planning and planning of energy systems, is
the author of Globalização (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1997), De Collor a FHC- O Brasil e a Nova
(Des)ordem Mundial (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 1998), Um Projeto para o Brasil (Editora Nobel, São
Paulo, 2000), Os condicionantes do desenvolvimento do Estado da Bahia (Tese de doutorado.
Universidade de Barcelona, http://www.tesisenred.net/handle/10803/1944, 2003), Globalização e
Desenvolvimento (Editora Nobel, São Paulo, 2006), Bahia- Desenvolvimento do Século XVI ao Século XX
e Objetivos Estratégicos na Era Contemporânea (EGBA, Salvador, 2008), The Necessary Conditions of
the Economic and Social Development-The Case of the State of Bahia (VDM Verlag Dr. Muller
Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2010), Aquecimento Global e Catástrofe
Planetária (P&A Gráfica e Editora, Salvador, 2010), Amazônia Sustentável- Para o progresso do Brasil e
combate ao aquecimento global (Viena- Editora e Gráfica, Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, São Paulo, 2011),
Os Fatores Condicionantes do Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (Editora CRV, Curitiba, 2012) and
Energia no Mundo e no Brasil- Energia e Mudança Climática Catastrófica no Século XXI (Editora CRV,
Curitiba, 2015).

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An indisputable fact is that humanity already consumes more natural resources than the
planet can replenish. The current rate of consumption is a threat to the future prosperity
of mankind. In the last 45 years, demand for natural resources on the planet doubled due
to the high standard of life in rich and emerging countries and the increase in world
population. All available data point towards that planet Earth is now reaching its limits
in the use of its natural resources. One of these data concerns the ecological footprint
that is a good way to measure the impact of human beings on planet Earth. On the
ecological footprint, it is worth noting that it is a methodology used to measure the
amounts of land and water (in terms of global hectares - gha) that would be needed to
support domestic consumption.
The ecological footprint is a calculation of what each person, every country and
ultimately the world's population consumes natural resources. The measurement is made
in hectares, and six categories are evaluated: farmland, pastures, forests, fishing areas,
carbon demands and land for the construction of buildings. Considering five types of
surface (cultivated areas, pastures, forests, fisheries and built environment), the planet
Earth has approximately 13.4 billion global hectares (gha) of biologically productive
land and water according to data from the 2010 Global Footprint Network and
humanity's ecological footprint reached the milestone of 2.7 global hectares (gha) per
person in 2007 for a world population of 6.7 billion people on the same date (according
to the UN) [See the article A terra no limite (The land at the limit) of José Eustáquio
Diniz Alves available on the website
<http://planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/noticia/ambiente/terra-limite-humanidade-
recursos-naturais-planeta-situacao-sustentavel-637804.shtml.>].
With humanity's ecological footprint of 2.7 global hectares (gha) per person means to
say that to sustain the current population on earth of 7 billion inhabitants would require
18.9 billion gha (2.7 gha x 7 billion people) which is higher than the 13.4 billion global
hectares (gha) of biologically land and water productive on Earth, a fact that indicates
that already exceeded the regenerative capacity of the planet in the average level of
current world consumption. Today, due to the current rate of consumption, the demand
for natural resources exceeds 41% regeneration capacity of the Earth. If the escalation
of this demand continues at this rate, by 2030, with an estimated global population of 10
billion people, two Earths will be needed to meet it. It should be noted that from 2050,
when the world population will exceed 10 billion people, planet Earth cannot resist such
demands on natural resources.
Currently, over 80% of the world population lives in countries that use more resources
than their own ecosystems can renew. The core capitalist countries (European Union,
USA and Japan), ecological debtors, have exhausted their own resources and have to
import them. In the survey of Global Footprint Network, the Japanese consume 7.1
times more than they have and it would take four Italy to supply the Italians. The
consumption pattern of developed countries disrupts this balance. An indisputable fact
is that humanity already consumes more natural resources than the planet can replenish.
The water supply is under threat according to the UN [See the article 2,7 bilhões podem
ficar sem água em 2025, diz ONU (2.7 billion may run out of water by 2025, says UN)
available on the website
<http://www.bbc.com/portuguese/noticias/2002/020322_secaml.shtml>]. The United
Nations (UN) announced that more than 2.7 billion people will suffer from water
shortages by 2025 if the planet's consumption continues at current levels. The crisis

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oncoming is being attributed to mismanagement of water resources, population growth
and climate change experienced by the planet Earth. The areas most at risk of facing
water shortages are in the semi-arid regions of Asia and part of Africa south of the
Sahara desert. In Brazil, there are more than 45 million people without access to safe
drinking water and more than 90 million without access to the sewage system,
according to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) data in 2004.
Today humanity uses 50% of the planet's fresh water. In 40 years use 80%. The
geographic distribution of freshwater is uneven. Currently 1/3 of the world population
lives in areas where it is scarce. The use of water unfit for consumption accounts for
60% of sick on the planet. Half of the world's rivers are contaminated by sewage,
pesticides and industrial waste [See the article Cai do Céu, mas pode faltar (Falls from
the sky, but may lack) available on the website
<http://veja.abril.com.br/300108/p_086.shtml>]. Water is becoming a source of wars
due to the international competition for water resources. Many countries build large
dams deviating water from natural drainage systems of the rivers to the detriment of
others. The main water conflicts in the world today involves Israel, Jordan and Palestine
by Jordan, Turkey and Syria by the Euphrates River, China and India by the
Brahmaputra River, Botswana, Angola and Namibia by the Okavango River, Ethiopia,
Uganda, Sudan and Egypt by Rio Nile and Bangladesh and India by Ganges River.
Food production is threatened because only 12% of Earth's land is arable. In the last 30
years we have doubled the amount of arable land affected by severe droughts due to
global warming. In China every 2 years an area equivalent to the state of Sergipe in
Brazil turns into desert. The fishing industry is threatened because of the 200 species of
fish with higher commercial interest, 120 are exploited beyond sustainable levels. At
this rate, the available volume of fish will have declined by more than 90% by 2050. It
is estimated that 40% of the ocean area is severely degraded by human activities. In the
last 50 years the number of dead zones in the ocean grew 10 times [See the article O
WWF alerta para o esgotamento dos recursos naturais (WWF warns of depletion of
natural resources) available on the website
<http://arquivoetc.blogspot.com.br/2008/11/o- WWF-warning-for-the-exhaustion-
dos.html>].
It is going on today over oil extraction than the ability to replenish with new
discoveries. Growth in oil demand will exceed the global supply in 2020 or 2025,
pointing out that the world lives "the oil twilight," that is, a moment of transition
between abundance and scarcity. Many scientists say the oil will run out around 2070
[See the article O esgotamento de alguns minérios (The depletion of some minerals)
available on the website <http://www.brasilescola.com/geografia/o-esgotamento-
alguns-minerios.htm>]. The competition for resources such as oil is currently the largest
potential source of global conflicts. The dispute over the oil that remains will lead to a
state of permanent war, characterized by the presence of major powers in their
production regions.
In the past, large companies in the industry discovered more oil each year than they
were able to extract, which does not happen anymore nowadays [See the article by
Luciana Brafman Disputa por petróleo leva a estado de guerra permanente (Dispute for
oil leads to a permanent state of war) available on the web site
<http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/brasil/fc1710200520.htm>]. If the peripheral
capitalist countries adopt the standards of the developed capitalist countries, the amount

4. 4
of fossil fuel currently consumed would increase 10 times [See the article O que é
desenvolvimento sustentável? (What is sustainable development?) available on the
website
<http://www.wwf.org.br/natureza_brasileira/questoes_ambientais/desenvolvimento_sust
entavel/>].
If the rate of extraction of mineral resources continues as it is, humanity will surely see
some minerals become extinct. For two centuries the extraction of mineral resources has
become more intense, removing increasing amounts of nature. The concern is that most
of these resources are not renewable, ie they are not replenished by nature. If the
peripheral capitalist countries adopt the standards of the developed capitalist countries,
the amount of mineral resources currently consumed would increase 200 times [See the
article O que é desenvolvimento sustentável? (What is sustainable development?)
available on the website <http://www.wwf.org.br/natureza_brasileira /
questoes_ambientais / desenvolvimento_sustentavel />]. Among the mineral resources,
iron, aluminum and possibly titanium are abundant in the Earth's crust whose reserves
may be considered unlimited. However, the non-renewable minerals too formed by
geological processes over millions of years have reservations that reduce continually
being so scarce and precious as fossil fuels (Meadows, Donella, Meadows et alli Beyond
the limits. Vermont:. Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 1992). Available data on
reserves of mineral resources point in the direction that Planet Earth is now reaching its
limits.
Estimate of exhaust of mineral resources of the planet Earth is presented in the article
Quando os recursos minerais se esgotarão? (When the mineral resources will be
exhausted?) published on the website
<http://planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/noticia/ambiente/quando-recursos-minerais-se-
esgotarao-648952.shtml>, based on the US Geological Survey information, the US
government agency responsible for geological surveys that crossed information on the
annual consumption, the mineral reserves available on the planet Earth and its probable
extinction. The estimate is as follows: 1) Platinum (use in surgical materials) -
Extinction in 2049 ; 2) Silver (use in the manufacture of mirrors and cutlery) -
Extinction in 2016; 3) Copper (used in wire and cable and air conditioning ducts) -
Extinction in 2027; 4) Antimony (use in remote controls and other materials to increase
strength) - Extinction in 2020; 5) Lithium (used in cell phone batteries, laptops and
video games) - Extinction in 2053; 6) Phosphorus (used in agricultural fertilizers) -
Extinction in 2149; 7) Uranium (used for electric power generation) - Extinction in
2026; 8) Indian (use in touchscreen of smartphones and tablets) - Extinction in 2020; 9)
Tantalum (use in cameras lenses) - Extinction in 2027; 10) Nickel (use in metal alloy
coating of electronics such as cell phones) - Extinction in 2064; 11) Tin (use in coating
metal alloys, as used in soft drink cans) - Extinction in 2024; 12) Lead (used in car and
trucks batteries and welds and bearings) - Extinction in 2015; 13) Gold (use as jewelry
and computer microchips) - Extinction in 2043; 14) Zinc (use to cover alloys,
preventing rust destroy objects like coins) - Extinction in 2041.
For these reasons many Planet Earth ores are coming to an end, which may stop the use
of various technologies currently used. As for oil, will run for 40 years according to data
presented on the website <http://institutoparacleto.org/2013/05/23/o-futuro-do-
petroleo/>. Natural gas has reserves that can guarantee their production up to 60 years
according to the website <http://exame.abril.com.br/economia/noticias/os-10-paises-
com-as-maiores-reservas-de-gas-natural-do-mundo>. Coal, in turn, has sufficient

5. 5
reserves to last 250 years according to the website data
<http://carvaomineral.blogspot.com.br/2006/09/reservas-de-carvo-no-mundo.html>.
The shale gas in recent exploration in the United States, which could meet the domestic
demand of the country for natural gas at current levels of consumption for over 100
years, it is extremely bad for the environment because it generates half the carbon
emissions produced by coal, and pollute the groundwater sheets.
What has just been described on the duration of fossil fuel reserves indicates that, given
the longevity of coal, it could be the power source to be used in the future when other
fossil fuels are depleted, a fact that would aggravate the greenhouse effect in the
atmosphere. Humanity must become aware of the urgent need to replace fossil fuels
with renewable energy sources to avoid the catastrophic scenario of using coal as an
energy source as well as to replace the current model of development for sustainable
development, which, by reverse logistics, with the reuse, recovery and recycling of
materials, thus reaching the so-called closed production cycle, could delay the
exhaustion of natural resources of planet Earth.
It seems that the XXI Century wars will have as fulcrum the battle for natural resources
which tend not to meet human needs. Our development model is reaching its limits.
With a lack of natural resources for their survival and the absence of global governance
that is capable of mediating conflicts, humanity tends to a regression to barbarism and
cruel behavior. To avoid this catastrophic scenario, it is necessary that all governments
of all countries of the world celebrate a planetary social contract that enables economic
and social development and the rational use of natural resources for the benefit of all
mankind.
3. Global warming and the consequent catastrophic climate change
Global warming, which was a matter of exclusive interest of the scientific community,
assumes today a much broader dimension being matter of preoccupation by the world's
people and governments around the world. The media has contributed enough to the
issue of global warming becomes an issue of general interest to disseminate information
about the extreme climate change that has been recorded since the Industrial Revolution
in England until today in various parts of the world as well as the opinion of many
scientists and institutions attesting to the severity of the problem.
Global warming is a weather phenomenon to a large extent - an increase in the average
temperature of the Earth's surface that has been going on for the past 150 years. The
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), established by the UN (United
Nations) says that much of the observed warming on the planet is due most probably to
an increase in greenhouse there is strong evidence that global warming is due to human
activities. Many meteorologists and climatologists consider proven that human action is
actually influencing the occurrence of the phenomenon.
Global warming result from the greenhouse effect caused by heat retention in low
Earth's atmosphere caused by the concentration of gases of various kinds. Earth receives
radiation emitted by Sun that is absorbed by the Earth's surface warming it. Much of
this radiation is returned to the space and the other part is absorbed by the gas layer
surrounding atmosphere causing the greenhouse effect. It is due to this natural
phenomenon, the greenhouse effect that we have an average temperature of Earth at 15
°C range. Without this phenomenon, the average temperature of the planet would be -18
°C. Analysis of Figure 1 reveals that Earth receives radiation emitted by Sun that is

6. 6
absorbed by the Earth's surface warming it (A in Figure 1). Much of this radiation is
returned to the space (B in Figure 1) and the other part is absorbed by the gas layer
surrounding atmosphere causing the greenhouse effect (C in Figure 1).
Figure 1 Greenhouse Effect
Source: Larara, Dakir. Aquecimento Global e Mudanças Climáticas (Global Warming and Climate
Change). Geography Course ULBRA - Canoas, <http://www.educacional.com.br>.
To be in climate balance, Earth must receive the same amount of energy that sends back
into space. If imbalance occurs for some reason, the globe warms or cools until the
temperature reach, again, the exact measure for correct heat exchange. The natural
climatic balance was disrupted by the Industrial Revolution in England in 1786. Since
the nineteenth century, carbon dioxide concentrations in the air increased by 30%,
doubled the methane and nitrous oxide have risen 15%. Global warming is produced by
human activity (anthropogenic) on the planet Earth and also by natural processes such
as decomposition of organic matter and volcanic eruptions, which produce ten times
more gas than man. For ages, the natural processes alone ensured the maintenance of the
greenhouse effect, without which life would not be possible on Earth. The gases
responsible for the global warming derived from human activity are produced by fossil
fuels used in cars, industries and power plants, for agricultural production and the
burning in forests (Alcoforado, 2010).
The main evidence for global warming comes from the temperature measurements in
weather stations around the globe since 1860. The data below in Figure 2 show that the
average temperature increase was 0.6 ± 0.2 °C during the twentieth century. The largest
increases were in two periods: 1910-1945 and 1976 to 2000. From 1945 to 1976 there
was stabilization in the growth temperature that caused temporarily scientific
community was suspected that there is a slowdown in global temperature.

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Figure 2- Global temperatures
Source: SEED. Energia e mudança do clima global (Energy and global climate change)
(www.seed.slb.com)
The figure legend:
Average of five years
Annual average
Anomalia de temperatura = Temperature anomaly
Mais frio = Cooler
Mais quente = Hottest
Due to global warming, it is likely that future climatic imbalances will be abrupt and
catastrophic. There will be a rapid and destructive increase in global temperatures
unless carbon emissions are cut. If current trends continue, between 2020 and 2070, the
concentration of greenhouse gases could double and the average surface temperature of
Earth could rise by about 4-5 degrees Centigrade. It is estimated that kept the current
rate of increase in emissions of greenhouse gases, the planet's average temperature
should raise from the current 15 degrees Centigrade to 16.5 degrees Centigrade at best,
and 19.5 degrees in the worst assumptions in the year 2025. In the year 2100, the global
average temperature will reach 18 degrees Centigrade, at best, and 29 degrees
Centigrade at worst. The most likely value for the average global temperature by the
end of the 21st century would be 19 degrees Centigrade (Alcoforado, 2010).
Figure 3 shows the temperature variations in the Earth's surface from 1000 to 2000 and
its projections up to 2100. The figure for the year 1000 to 1860 was estimated and the
1860 to 2000 were based on global observations by instruments.

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Figure 3. Changes in temperature on the surface of Earth: 1000 2100
Source: Larara, Dakir. Aquecimento Global e Mudanças Climáticas (Global Warming and Climate
Change). Geography Course ULBRA - Canoas, http://www.educacional.com.br.
Figure 4 shows the last record since 1900 and projections of global average temperature
until 2100.
Figure 4- Global average temperature and projections
Source: .Magazine Veja Online, Aquecimento Global (Global Warming).

9. 9
All indications are that sea levels may rise due to the increase in global temperature.
There may be the melting of ice sheets deposited in the polar caps and the summits of
the great mountain ranges. By 2050, sea levels may rise to 1.17 meters, in the year 2075
to 2.12 meters and in 2100 to 3.45 meters disappearing large extensions of coastal lands,
islands and coastal cities. A greater number of hurricanes would occur with increasing
global temperature. Some scientists are preoccupied that in the future, the polar ice cap
and glaciers melt significantly. If this happens, there may be an increase in water levels
in many meters. Galileo magazine, no. 170, June 2006, published the text under the title
O aquecimento global e a economia do país (Global warming and the economy of the
country) in which informs that if the ice sheet of Antarctica disappear would be a
catastrophe because the region has on its interior enough ice to do global sea levels rise
by more than 65 meters (Alcoforado, 2010).
Taking into account the findings of numerous studies related to global warming, if
nothing is done to reverse their current trends, its consequences are as follows:
• 2 to 4.5 ° C would be overall average temperature until the end of this century.
• The polar ice caps may disappear completely within 100 years.
• There may be decreased ice cover at the poles and in mountain ranges, rising sea
levels submerging islands and coastal cities and changes in weather patterns that may
influence not only human activities but also ecosystems.
• 40% of the trees in the Amazon could disappear before the end of the century if
temperatures rise 2-3 degrees.
• Tropical forests will be replaced by savannas in regions where there is a reduction of
groundwater.
• Scientists estimate that, when we get to 2050, millions of people living in river deltas
will be removed due to flooding, if maintained the current rate of warming.
• The weather will be cooler just in the northern hemisphere. For the rest of the world
average temperature will rise and droughts and rainfall patterns will change around the
world.
• Global warming and also other damage to the environment are causing that natural
selection go a rate 50 times faster than recorded 100 years ago.
• From 9 to 58% of species on land and at sea will be extinct in the next few decades
under different assumptions.
• Increasing global temperature allows that an ecosystem change, some species may be
forced out of their habitats (possibly to extinction) because of changes in conditions
while others may spread, invading other ecosystems.
• About 20% to 30% of all species will face a "high risk of extinction" if global average
temperature rising more 1.5 and 2.5 degrees Celsius compared to 1990 levels. This may
happen by 2050.
• The greenhouse effect will help to reduce the rainfall in some areas of the planet
causing those occurring higher temperatures and increased evaporation.

10. 10
• Rains are expected to increase by about 20% in the higher latitudes.
• Several areas of the globe may become flooded because of the overabundance of
rainfall, resulting in extensive flooding.
• 2,000 square kilometers will become desert due to lack of rain.
• The river flows may decrease by 50% or more that can some of them dry completely.
• Important groundwater could be severely reduced, causing the irrigation wells to dry.
• Excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making the oceans more acidic. This
weakens the corals, sea nurseries, and the plankton, the basis of the underwater food
chain.
• Coral reefs are likely to suffer sharp declines.
• Mangroves savory and pantanal forests may disappear with rising sea levels.
• Migratory birds and mammals will suffer as vegetation zones change in the Arctic.
• The Arctic due to higher heating relative, small island states in the Pacific with rising
sea levels, the area south of the Sahara Africa due to drought and the deltas of densely
rivers villages in Asia because of floods will suffer enough with climate change.
Figure 5 below shows that industrialized countries have emit most of the anthropogenic
CO2 (78.8%) from 1900 to 1999.
Figure 5 industrialized countries emitted most of the anthropogenic CO2 - Area
proportional to historical emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels (1900-
1999)
Source: Larara, Dakir. Aquecimento Global e Mudanças Climáticas (Global Warming and Climate
Change). Geography Course ULBRA - Canoas, http://www.educacional.com.br.

11. 11
In recent times, especially during the course of the Rio + 20 Conference of sustainable
development sponsored by the UN, there were numerous attacks against the global
warming thesis and its effects on the climate defended by the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) questioning their reports produced with the participation of
2,500 scientists from 131 countries, bringing together observations, conclusions,
forecasts and recommendations of several thousand climate scientists from around the
world. What we are witnessing today is a real media war over the issue of catastrophic
climate change and its relation to the predatory human activities such as the emission of
greenhouse gases.
Sabotage of science has become a routine component of the moment in which we live.
Hire mercenaries of science is a practice of large corporations responsible for the use of
fossil fuels to disqualify the evidence of global warming. The mission of skeptics and
pseudo scientists artificially is to inflate the uncertainties associated with scientific
evidence, preventing or delaying so any measure to protect the environment of serious
consequences for humanity. All sciences are vulnerable to this type of attack, since
dealing with uncertainty is its intrinsic character. Any study is subject to criticism,
legitimate or not. The strategy adopted to weaken even the most robust scientific
conclusions is simple, just selectively highlight the uncertainties, by addressing the key
studies one by one and, most importantly, systematically ignoring the weight of their
evidence.
In contrast to the views of skeptics and pseudo scientists, more than 255 scientists
members of the US Academy of Sciences defended the theory of climate change in an
article published on May 6, 2010, in the Science magazine. In an article entitled As
Mudanças Climáticas e a Integridade da Ciência (The Climate Change and Science
Integrity), 255 scientists claim that "there are consistent evidence that humans are
changing the climate in a way that threatens our societies" [See the article EUA:
cientistas defendem existência das mudanças climáticas (US: scientists argue existence
of climate change) published on the website
<http://noticias.terra.com.br/ciencia/noticias/0,,OI4419952-EI238,00-
EUA+cientistas+defendem+existencia+das+mudancas+climaticas.html> and the article
Climate Change and the Integrity of Science published on the website
<http://www.sciencemag.org/content/328/5979/689.full.pdf?sid=967ede4e-da58-4209-
be61-4523bca2cca3>]
The journal Science text also condemns the attacks by so-called "climate skeptics" in
relation to the experts and institutions who warn both the existence, and for the possible
effects of global warming. The researchers say many of the attacks have been boosted
by specific interests of large corporations or dogma, not by honest effort to provide an
alternative theory. According to the article, the increase in temperature of the planet is
due to the higher concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn are
caused by human activities. At the conclusion of the article, the climatologists said
humanity has two options: Omit the scientific data and rely on luck or act quickly to
reduce the threat of climate change.
It should be noted that the controversy over climate change is established among
scientists who support the theory that global warming results from natural causes and
those who argue that it results from human activities. This is a matter that is still under
debate in the scientific community, although many meteorologists and climatologists
recently stated publicly that they consider proven that human action has really

12. 12
influenced the evolution of this phenomenon. Most of the scientific community defends
the thesis that global warming is man's responsibility. The paradigm of natural causes of
climate change is being put into question by the new paradigm that assigns greater
responsibility to the man.
4. Sustainable Development Policy to prevent the depletion of natural resources of
the planet Earth
Traditionally, the production processes are characterized by use of natural (raw
material) in the manufacture of products for human consumption whose resulting waste
is taken to a landfill. This operational dynamics that can be termed as Linear Economy,
which is shown in Figure 6 below, tends to contribute to the continued depletion of
natural resources of the planet Earth.
Figure 6. Linear Economy
Unlike the Linear Economy model, the Circular Economy is concerned with sustainable
development by seeking efficiency in manufacturing products and reusing waste
contributing in this way to avoid the exhaustion of the planet's natural resources. The
Circular Economy concept is to transform waste into raw materials for new products
production (Figure 7).
Figure 7 Circular Economy
Human
consumption
Manufacturing-
Production
Final
Disposition
(Landfill site)
Waste
Natural
resources
(Raw material)
Natural
resources
(Raw material)
Manufacturing-
Production
Human
consumption
Waste
Secondary raw
material

13. 13
As in nature, in which the remains of fruit consumed by animals decompose and are
transformed into fertilizer for plants closing the loop, automobile parts and home
appliances used, for example, can be reprocessed and reintegrated into the production
chain. In Figure 7, it can be seen that in Circular Economy, natural resources, which are
used as primary raw materials in the manufacturing process, are transformed into
products going for human consumption generating waste that, after its transformation in
secondary raw material, are used in manufacturing products, and so on.
This new way of thinking about supply chains brings micro and macro economic
benefits, as well as stimulates innovation. Products and materials are now developed to
return to production chain. Thus, the extraction of raw materials decreases and the
natural resources that go into the production cycle are used for longer, preserving the
environment. The need to recycle and reuse materials promotes the development of new
relationships between companies, which are now also suppliers and consumers of
materials that will be reincorporated to the production cycle [Nat.Genius. Economia
Circular (Circular Economy) posted on the website <http:. // Www. .natgenius.com /
EconomiaCircular.aspx>].
In Circular Economy is applied what is called Reverse Logistic which is the field of
logistics that deals with the return of products, packaging or materials to their
production center, as is shown in Figure 8 below.
Figure 8- Reverse logistics

14. 14
The Reverse Logistic in the recycling process causes the material to return to different
production centers in the form of raw material. Reverse logistics management activities
provide for the recycling and removal of waste and management of returns. With a
circular economy, where everything can be reused, can reduce the extraction of raw
materials and waste disposal on the environment.
To improve and expand the cycle of closing experience is essential that consumers,
retail businesses, industries and government understand their role. This also means
changing the way of creating and using the products: they will no longer be consumed
and discarded, but used and processed into new products. Reverse logistics is a way to
break with the Linear Economy where the raw material is extracted, transformed into
products and discarded after use to landfill site.
Adopt the principles of Circular Economy is critical because of the human being need to
make better use of their natural resources to avoid their future exhaustion and not cause
so many negative impacts on the environment. To achieve its objectives, the Circular
Economy is primarily concerned with the following topics: 1) product development
using easily recyclable materials and non-hazardous; 2) environmental laws that
encourage the sector; 3) the return of solid waste to the production chain; and, 4)
treatment and reuse of waste. Numerous universities in Europe now offer degrees in
Circular Economy as is the case in Germany that form masters and doctors in Circular
Economy, also known as Waste Economy (Portal Resíduos Sólidos. Economia Circular
(Circular Economy). Posted on the website <http: //www.portalresiduossolidos .com /
economy-circular />].
The Brazilian Institute for Public Law Advanced Studies reports that in 2012 about 62
million tons of solid waste were produced in Brazil. According to the Ministry of
Environment, only 2% of the material returned to the production chain. Residues which
are not recycled end up in dumps (17.8%), controlled landfills (24.2%) and landfills
(58%). Failure on reuse of solid waste costs the country US$ 8 billion a year. According
report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation - nonprofit organization that studies and
encourages the adoption of circular economy - 65 billion tons of raw materials were
inserted in the productive system worldwide in 2010. Institute projections indicate that
by 2020, amount of raw materials will rise to 82 billion tons per year [Instituto
Brasileiro de Altos Estudos de Direito Público. Sustentabilidade: Resíduos sólidos:
Economia Circular: Novo negócio: Embraco (Sustainability Studies in Public Law:.
Solid waste: Circular Economy: New business: Embraco). Published on the website <
http://www.altosestudos.com.br/?p=52902>.
Nat. Genius advises that the implementation of Circular Economy is not a task that
involves only the companies. It is necessary that everybody involved in the life cycle of
a product to understand their role in this new model. In a world where the relations of
production and trade are becoming more global, the need to disseminate the concept of
Circular Economy becomes increasingly present, large-scale, including the consumer
population. The spread of the concept of Circular Economy has occurred in several
countries. Among them, China, where the Circular Economy is part of the Promotion of
Clean Production Law, enacted in 2002. Among the public awareness measures are eco-
labeling of products, the dissemination of information on environmental issues in the
communications vehicles and the Cleaner Production courses offered by educational
institutions, which are designed to train professionals familiar with the Circular

15. 15
Economy [Nat.Genius. Economia Circular (Circular Economy). Published on the website
<http://www.natgenius.com/EconomiaCircular.aspx>].
Nat. Genius also reports that, in Brazil, was established the National Policy on Solid
Waste (2010 law) which aims to ensure shared responsibility for the lifecycle of
products, reverse operation and the sectoral agreement. The shared responsibility for the
lifecycle of products provides that all agents of the production cycle, consumers and
public services have responsibilities to minimize the volume of solid waste and
environmental impact.
5. Sustainable Development Policy to combat global warming
The year 2014 was the hottest on the planet since records began in 1880, inform the
report released by Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United
States. December 2014 also recorded an average temperature on Earth's surface and
oceans unprecedented in the last 134 years for this time of year. Overall, the average
surface temperature of the sea was the highest on record, 0.57 °C above the average of
the twentieth century, while the Earth's surface exceeded by 1 °C this same average.
The polar regions of the Earth are places where climate change is having visible and
significant impacts. Sea ice in the Arctic has decreased dramatically in recent years.
Antarctic ice platforms are crumbling and breaking. Antarctica is the largest frozen bulk
with 90% of the Earth's ice. The bulk of the ice is in East Antarctica which is higher,
cooler and less prone to melt. West Antarctica, part of the ice is melting in vulnerable
depressions. Data from the European Space Agency indicate that the Antarctic continent
gives off 160 billion metric tons of ice per year from 2010 to 2013.
Humanity faces a temporal border that is not 2100, but much earlier, in 2030! This date
is not arbitrary. By 2030, we will live on a planet that will have around 9 billion people
of which two-thirds living in a saturated Earth of pollution and waste already affected
by a sensitive high temperature. By 2030, we will be entering a phase of oil dearth and
strong tension on other fossil fuels, in a context of reduction of natural resources and
depletion of arable land. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that was
280 ppm (parts per million) by volume at the beginning of the industrial age can achieve
in the twenty-first century values between 540 and 970 ppm. This increased
concentration of carbon dioxide is responsible for 70% of global warming in progress.
The world is facing a challenge that is to not allow global warming in the twenty-first
century more than two degrees centigrade without which will have to assume the
catastrophic consequences of climate change. To prevent global warming exceeds 2 °C
will need a radical decarbonisation of the global economy. It is a task difficult to
perform, but still possible. In this sense, the world must limit all emissions of carbon
dioxide (CO) to one trillion tons.
A global commitment aimed at limiting the increase in global warming to 2 °C should
be signed in December this year, the Paris Climate Conference, COP 21. The studies of
the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) of the UN recommend reducing
emissions of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming in the range of 60% to
70% by mid-century. To accomplish this objective will need to be in every country in
the world a huge effort to drastically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Until
October, the countries submitted emission cut proposals, known as INDCs (Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions).

16. 16
This can only be achieved if the COP 21 to adopt policies that contribute to: 1) reform
the energy and transport sectors; 2) promote the use of renewable energy sources; 3)
eliminate financial and market mechanisms inappropriate to the purposes of the
Convention; 4) limit emissions of greenhouse gases in the waste management and
energy systems; and 5) protect forests and other carbon absorbers. The effort of the
international community should be focused on eliminating or reducing the emission of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by the following factors: 1) Thermoelectric
generation (22%); 2) Deforestation (18%); 3) Agriculture and Livestock (14%); 4)
Industry (14%); 5) Cars and airplanes (13%); 6) Residential and commercial fuel use
(11%); 7) Waste decomposition (4%); and, 8) Refineries (4%). These data were
extracted from the article Apocalipse Já (Apocalypse Now) published by Veja
Magazine, 1961 Edition, June 21, 2006.
The elimination or reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused
by thermal plants using fossil fuels requires their replacement by renewable energy
sources (solar, wind and biomass) and, ultimately, for nuclear power plants.
Deforestation must be addressed with appropriate surveillance of forest areas and the
exemplary punishment of those responsible. One should encourage the replacement
diesel oil used in agriculture for biodiesel, reducing the size of the bovine population
responsible for the emission of methane to the atmosphere, the replacement of the fuel
oil used by industry for cleaner natural gas, the use of ethanol by automobiles in place
of gasoline and the manufacture of electric cars to replace the vehicles that use fossil
fuels. Should be promoted the replacement of LPG used in households and trade with
cleaner natural gas. The emission of greenhouse resulting from waste decomposition
gases can be prevented with the use of methane produced in landfills to generate
electricity as well as in the production of fertilizer. In refineries, there should be an
effort to reduce the production of oil products in parallel with the adoption of measures
aimed at reducing the consumption of oil products. Refineries should be fundamentally
used to the production of derivatives more noble use, ie as industrial raw material.
Therefore, to eliminate or reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and prevent
catastrophic climate change on our planet, it is urgent to reduce oil consumption by
adopting policies aimed at implementing programs that contribute to their replacement
by other energy resources. In this sense, we need to make: 1) electricity generation
using renewable energy sources (solar, wind and biomass); 2) substitution of gasoline
by ethanol and diesel by biodiesel in the short term in the transport sector; 3)
substitution of gasoline and diesel by hydrogen in the medium and long term in the
transport sector; 4) replacement of fuel oil by natural gas and biomass in industry; 5)
replacement of coal by natural gas in industry; 6) replacement of diesel oil by biomass
and natural gas in the energy sector; and 7) replacement of LPG by natural gas in the
residential and services sectors.
Additionally, it is necessary to adopt energy policies aiming at the implementation of
programs that contribute to reducing oil consumption through energy saving actions.
Energy saving policies consist of the following: 1) to produce steam and electricity in
industry using cogeneration systems; 2) encourage automakers and trucks in order to
raise the efficiency of motor vehicles to reduce fuel consumption; 3) expand rail and
waterway systems for cargo transportation to replace the trucks; 4) expand the public
transportation system, especially the mass transport of high capacity as the subway or
tramway to reduce the use of cars in cities; 5) restrict the use of cars in the centers and
other areas of cities; 6) encourage manufacturing machines and more efficient

17. 17
equipment as well as electric vehicles to save energy; and 7) use oil products mainly for
non-energy purposes, especially as industrial raw material.
Recently, meeting in Lima, Peru outlined the main elements of the next global climate
agreement to be signed in Paris in December this year. The final text, "Lima Calling for
Action on Climate Change", points out the main elements of the next global climate
agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the post-2030 period. It is expected
that in Paris, the world comes, finally, to an agreement. The goal is to prevent the rise in
average global temperature does not exceed 2 °C making carbon emissions fail to grow
in the next five or ten years and bring them to zero in 2100. In addition to the reduction
of greenhouse gases, it is expected that in Paris is initiated the formulation of a new
world order, a new civilization, to be built that will help to organize relations between
people on Earth and their relationship with nature.
6. Education policy for sustainable development
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a particularly important dimension of
quality education. It provides people of all educational levels the skills, competencies
and knowledge required to transmit values indispensable for behavior and practices that
lead to sustainable development. Education for sustainable development enables all
human beings acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to form a
sustainable future at the local and global levels. The scale and diversity of its natural
resources make Brazil a country of key importance in terms of environmental
preservation and sustainable development.
It is crucial to prepare citizens to adapt to a changing physical environment and to
abolish production patterns and unsustainable consumption like that happen right now.
ESD should be strengthened and promoted at all levels and in all educational settings
throughout the life of citizens. This requires the integration of education for sustainable
development in educational policies and relevant practices of education, demand the
development of effective mechanisms to link the objectives of increasing the green
labor market to educational programs, especially through technical and vocational
education and vocational training and calls for reform formal and non-formal education
systems, in order to prepare men and women for the green labor market and retrain the
existing workforce.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development for the period 2005-2014. The proposal was
approved in December 2002, during its 57th Session. UNESCO is the lead agency of
the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) to establish quality
standards for education aimed at sustainable development. Its main objective is to
integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects
of education and learning. Education for sustainable future means including key issues
on sustainable development in teaching and learning, for example, climate change,
disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction and sustainable consumption. It
also requires participatory teaching and learning methods to motivate and empower
students to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development. The
Education for Sustainable Development promotes skills such as critical thinking,
reflection on future scenarios and taken collaboratively decision.
This requires profound changes in the way education is often practiced today. This
educational effort will encourage changes in behavior that will generate a more

18. 18
sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability and a just
society for present and future generations. This represents a new vision of education that
can help people of all ages better understand the world in which they live, addressing
the complexity and interconnectedness of problems such as poverty, wasteful
consumption, environmental degradation, urban decay, health, conflicts and violation
human rights that threaten our future.
Sustainable development will only be victorious if there is the understanding and the
shared responsibility of different generations. UNESCO is the UN system agency
tasked to follow up on Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, which deals with environmental
education at all levels, training of educators and public information. To achieve a
sustainable future on planet Earth, it is necessary to promote among the population,
awareness of the importance of the environment. One way people acquire this
awareness, knowledge and skills necessary to improve their quality of life is through the
Environmental Education (EE) that should not be done only in schools. Their vehicles
should be formal and non-formal education and the mass media.
A society structured on the basis of sustainable development is an educated society in
all its dimensions. Investing in education is critical to achieving sustainable
development, poverty eradication, equity and social inclusion. Education has the key to
productivity and sustainable growth, and improve levels of health and nutrition, income
and livelihoods, creating an ideal condition for the achievement of all the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs ) and Education Commitment targets for Everybody. No
country has ever raised its level of human development without steady investment in
education.
Environmental education should be a public policy priority in the in search for
sustainable development, being one of the cheapest options, and easy to be carried out
in line with one of the key environmental principles which is the precautionary and
prevention. Sustainable development is a process in which economic, fiscal, trade,
energy, agricultural and industrial policies are organized to produce an economic, social
and environmentally sustainable development. Sustainable development implies a new
concept of economic growth, which proposes justice and opportunity for all people of
the world and not just for a privileged few, without further destroy the finite world's
natural resources and put in doubt the Earth's sustainable capacity.
The environmental education aims to form personality awakening environmental
awareness in children and young people, in addition to adults, to value and preserve
nature, because, according to generally accepted principles, so that we can prevent
adequately necessary is to raise awareness and educate. Environmental education is one
of the privileged mechanisms for the preservation and conservation of nature, teaching
that is to be mandatory from pre-school, through the schools of 1st and 2nd degree,
especially in the countryside, continuing in higher education.
From the Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the concept of sustainable
development gained momentum, according to the forecast contained in the heading of
art. 225, which provides that everyone is entitled to an ecologically balanced
environment and of common use and essential to a healthy quality of life, imposing to
the Government and the community shall have the duty to defend it and preserve it for
present and future generations. In the first paragraph, item VI, of that article, there is
forecast to order the Government to promote environmental education at all levels of
education and public awareness to preserve the environment.

19. 19
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