Work with students from Four Public Schools in Belém do Pará on Transport and the Environment carried out in September 2024

 

I work as a psychologist in the public transport and traffic management body of Belém do Pará and as a History teacher in the evening shift in public schools in the State of Pará and on November 18, 2024, I presented at the  Eighth Goiano Forum on Urban Mobility and Traffic held in Goiânia-Goiás  the  Work with students from Four Public Schools in Belém do Pará on  Traffic and the Environment .

The work with the students was developed in September 2024 considering the National Traffic Week. I decided to work with the students on transportation in Pará considering the issues of safety, mobility and the environment.

According to Nilson Pickler  in his article  “Transport and its Environmental Impacts”  (Blog AMBFLEX, 2022):  Transport allows people and goods to move between two points, therefore it is an extremely important activity for the full development of society.

Despite being a necessary activity, its impacts on the environment tend to be negative, and we can divide them into two categories: the consumption of natural resources, where we can highlight the use of oil, alcohol, among others; and the impacts on individuals, characterized by air pollution, traffic congestion and traffic accidents. 

But there are also those that do not cause negative impacts. Electric vehicles are part of the group called zero-emissions. These vehicles have a non-polluting means of generating movement, and do not emit any gases that are harmful to the environment, nor do they generate considerable noise. (...)” And the same author also states in the cited article:

“...Each means of transport has some environmental impact in some part of the process, whether in production, due to the materials used in the base, or in use due to the burning of fossil fuels, as well as in maintenance or disposal.

The bicycle, for example, is a means of transport that does not use fuel for locomotion, but its production involves materials such as steel and aluminum, which in a certain way generate significant impacts. 

Ideally, there would be a process for the correct disposal of bicycles at the end of their useful life, with the sale of parts in good condition and the recycling of materials. This would significantly reduce the environmental impact, as it would prevent the extraction of new natural resources.

Motorcycles and cars, on the other hand, have a greater impact in terms of both use and maintenance. The use of gasoline as fuel releases CO², a gas that contributes to global warming. 

If your motorcycle or car allows it, using renewable fuels (such as alcohol) is the best alternative to reduce impacts: by replacing gasoline with ethanol produced from sugar cane, it is possible to reduce CO² emissions into the atmosphere by at least 25%.

It is essential to carry out regular maintenance on your car or motorcycle to obtain better performance and fuel consumption efficiency, in addition to prioritizing shared use, reducing unnecessary individual emissions. 

Public transport, such as buses and subways, are part of the public service category, and even though it is not possible to adjust routes to better distribute the number of passengers, it is recommended that people opt for public transport, as this reduces the environmental impact caused by pollutant gas emissions from private vehicles (...)”

Below is the work I presented at the Congress:

I-Introduction (Highlighted aspects)

   1- The importance of traffic education:  Traffic education is of fundamental importance in ethical and social development, encompassing values, norms, principles and habits. This  education can have a great influence on social coexistence among those involved in traffic . According to Hoffman (2003): “Resources of any kind should help students reflect on themselves, on their attitudes towards other people and institutions regarding the social issues that surround them”.

   2- The issue of the environment and means of transport:  a considerable part of the environmental problems are related to the increasing use of vehicles that are still powered by petroleum derivatives. This situation has contributed greatly to the  emission of greenhouse gases . In Brazil, there is still a huge use of transport that uses petroleum derivatives, especially in the road transport of goods and people.

    3- Traffic Week 2024:  Considering traffic education and the environmental issue and considering History as a discipline that analyzes historical contexts and highlighting the 30th COP-30 that will be held in Belém in November 2025, I decided to work with my students on the  environmental issue related to traffic , taking advantage of the period of the 2024 traffic week, from September 18 to 25, 2024.

 

 II- Methods

1- Theoretical classes  with students from 9 night classes, two from EJA Fundamental and seven from High School, from four schools, on mobility relating to the Industrial Revolution and environmental issues, highlighting important authors such as Eduardo Vasconcelos and Roberto da Matta and excerpts from the book Projeto Transporte Humano: circuito com qualidade na cidade do século XXI published by the National Association of Public Transport (ANTP). In one of the schools, there was collaboration from the Biology teacher  who highlighted the ecological issue and the impacts of pollution on the environment.

2- Topics on the relationship between traffic and the environment were distributed to be drawn  among the classes and explained how the students should do it. The work was not mandatory, as some students were very busy at work and could not get together with others to do the work. The students who wanted to do it formed groups of up to six people. Each group was given a topic. A score was given for the third assessment of the school year to whoever presented it. The students researched the topics on websites suggested by the teacher. 

3-  Presentation in the classroom by the groups  on the selected topics and debate with the teacher. The students used posters or slides on a projector. 

III- Results:

1- Graziela Ribeiro and Acy de Barros Schools:

 At the Graziela Ribeiro school, eight students presented their work on electric cars and river transport in the Amazon. At the Acy de Barros school, 34 students presented their work on bicycles, river transport in the Amazon, walking, the subway, cars and electric buses.

2- Santa Luiza School in Marilac:

At the Santa Luiza de Marilac school, the following works were presented: Electricity in transport, Ethanol as a fuel for cars, Diesel oil and gasoline in transport and the  environmental issue, Natural gas in buses, and Walking. 14 students presented.

3- Paulo Fonteles School: At Paulo Fonteles School, the following works were presented: Traveling on foot, Bicycle, River Transport in the Amazon, Electric car, Traveling on foot, Traveling for the elderly and people with disabilities. 36 students presented.

 

IV- CONCLUSION (Important points)

1- Awakening curiosity and sensitivity about the issue:  The students had never done work that related the issue of the environment and traffic. The opportunity for them to do so sparked their interest in the topics presented and the impacts that exist on the environment.

2- Learning by doing:  Carrying out research on the Internet, creating material for display and studying for presentation in the classroom made it possible to learn about the subjects through their actions and through debate in the classroom.

3- The possibility of a new awareness about the issue of traffic and the environment:  The students' reflection on what was presented in class can be the beginning of an awareness about the issue of traffic and the environment and their role as participants in traffic and as citizens. And the dissemination of the work as a way of encouraging other teachers and other schools to carry out similar work.

Note: In addition to teaching History in 2024, I also taught the Life Project subject to 4 classes, the Environmental Education subject to one class and the Elective subject to another class. I also tried to relate the contents of these subjects to Traffic and the Environment in these subjects, when working on Traffic and the Environment. 

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Marcio Jose Matos Rodrigues.