Along the Rio Negro: Brazilian Children’s Environmental Views and Values

Citation

Howe, D. C., Kahn Jr, P. H., & Friedman, B. (1996). Along the Rio Negro: Brazilian children’s environmental views and values. Developmental Psychology, 32(6), 979–987. doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.32.6.979

Link to file

This study asked a simple but important question: how do children living in the Brazilian Amazon understand and value their relationship with the natural world? Researchers interviewed 44 fifth graders in both urban and rural communities along the Rio Negro. The interviews were conducted in Portuguese, and the children were invited to share their thoughts about nature and the environment around them.

The children showed a remarkable awareness of environmental challenges. When asked about throwing garbage into the Rio Negro, children in both settings recognized that this act could harm birds, insects, the beauty of the river, and the people who live along its banks. Just as importantly, they cared about that harm. The children did not simply view littering as a bad idea; they saw it as a violation of a moral obligation — something that is simply wrong, no matter the circumstances. They also voiced strong support for conserving the Amazon rainforest.

The children’s reasoning closely resembled that of African American urban children in the United States who took part in an earlier study (P. H. Kahn & B. Friedman, 1995).

Abstract

Children in urban and rural parts of the Brazilian Amazon were interviewed in Portuguese on how they understand and value their relationship with the natural environment. Forty-four 5th-grade children (mean age = 13 years, 8 months) participated. Children in both locations were aware of environmental problems, believed that throwing garbage in the Rio Negro harmed various parts of the environment (i.e., birds, insects, the view of the river, and people who live along the river), and cared that such harm might occur. Moreover, children believed that throwing garbage in the Rio Negro constituted a violation of a moral obligation. Children supported the conservation of the Amazon rainforest. Additional analyses showed striking similarities between this Brazilian population and a population of African American urban children in the United States (P. H. Kahn & B. Friedman, 1995).