ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION BASED ON THE 2030 AGENDA: COOPERATIVISM AS AN ESSENTIAL AGENT IN UNIVERSAL GEOETHICAL CITIZENSHIP

Abstract

This research investigated the perceptions of 87 elementary and middle school students (aged 12–16) regarding cooperativism and the environment, within a predominantly urban sample (88.5%). The results revealed that the majority of students (64.4%) had never had contact with cooperativism in the school environment, indicating a significant gap in education. Although 82.8% claimed to know what the environment is, further analysis showed that 17.2% lacked this knowledge. More concerningly, 56.4% of the students do not recognize the relationship between their consumption habits and environmental impacts, and 56.2% do not perceive their direct responsibility in preserving natural resources. These findings suggest that, despite having superficial knowledge about the environment, there is a limited understanding of the depth of these concepts and the interconnection between consumption and sustainability. This study points toward the need to integrate cooperativism and geoethics into school curricula to promote a more critical and transformative education, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDGs 8 and 12. The inclusion of cooperativism is seen as an essential pedagogical strategy to develop socio-emotional skills, active citizenship, and socio-environmental awareness, preparing young people to act responsibly and collectively within their territories.