ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP, AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT TO A BALANCED ENVIRONMENT IN BRAZIL AND IN PORTUGAL

This paper deals with the importance of environmental education and the way in which this is reflected in society, the execution of our right to a balanced environment and the legal aspects involved, the necessary exercise of citizenship for this purpose, and the way in which this is related to accessing information on environmental matters. It maintains that the process of complex and transdisciplinary environmental education - both within and outside of teaching institutions - can be a tool for the desired sustainable development. The participation of citizens is a valuable instrument achieved through judicial and administrative measures, including popular action and having access to environmental data as a result of constitutional privileges and infra-constitutional laws. Furthermore, it is the legal responsibility of public administration to implement programmes and actions that are effective and efficient for planetary environmental education, with collaboration from both the government and civil society. Deductive and comparative research methods were applied to this study, by means of qualitative biographical and documentary revision.