Environment, Sustainable Development And Public Policies: Integrated Pathways For A Socially And Ecologically Just Future

Objective: To understand the relationship between the environment, sustainable development, and public policies, identifying strategies for promoting actions aimed at strengthening sustainability. Theoretical Framework: The worsening global environmental crisis has provoked increasingly urgent debates about the direction of human development and the relationship between society and nature. The acceleration of destructive processes such as deforestation, the contamination of water resources, and the increase in greenhouse gas emissions reveals the limitations of the current civilizational model based on the intensive exploitation of nature. In this scenario, rethinking how human beings relate to ecological systems has become not only a scientific necessity, but also an ethical, social, and political imperative. Method: The following steps were used: identification of the theme and establishment of the research question; definition of inclusion and exclusion criteria; definition of the information to be extracted from the selected studies (data categorization); evaluation of the studies included in the review and presentation or synthesis of the knowledge. The primary selection of studies was carried out by searching the following databases: Latin American and Caribbean Literature (LILACS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and the Journal Portal of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). In the analysis of the studies, the following descriptors were integrated: environmental education, sustainability, citizenship, sustainable development and environmental responsibility. The Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) instrument were used. For the sample selection, inclusion criteria were defined that encompass the need for the study to be fully available free of charge in electronic media in the aforementioned databases, written in English, Spanish or Portuguese, and addressing the guiding criteria. Results and Discussion: It is necessary to rethink how territories are occupied, exploited, and governed, which implies recognizing that natural resources are not infinite and that hegemonic models of development present increasingly evident ethical and ecological limits. The study reinforces the need to strengthen this interdisciplinary and collaborative perspective to create a more conscious society capable of facing socio-environmental challenges in an integrated and supportive way. Research Implications: The research highlights the need to reformulate public policies and social practices to promote the sustainable use of natural resources. It also emphasizes the importance of environmental education in forming citizens who are aware and committed to the preservation of the environment. Finally, it reinforces the urgency of strengthening interdisciplinary approaches that integrate science, politics, and society in building a model of sustainable development. Originality/Value: The originality of this study lies in integrating the environmental, social, and political dimensions to understand sustainability in a broad and interdisciplinary way. The value of the research lies in offering theoretical and practical support for strengthening public policies and educational actions aimed at sustainability. Furthermore, it contributes to the debate on new development models that reconcile human progress and ecological balance.