O Óleo no Nordeste Brasileiro: Aspectos da (an)alfabetização Científica e Tecnológica

The objective of this work is to analyze and discuss people's attitudes and actions towards the oil spill in northeastern Brazil, as reported in the media, in the perspective of Fourez's Scientific and Technological Literacy (STL) (2005). The spill is considered one of the largest environmental disasters ever recorded on the Brazilian coast, with incalculable impacts on public health and the economy. To achieve the established goal, a total of twenty-four reports published at the time by the largest Brazilian media conglomerate, Grupo Globo, were analyzed using Discursive Textual Analysis. As a result, we found that a significant part of the attitudes and actions in regard to the oil spill were not supported by scientific and technological knowledge. The technological resources used in the monitoring of oil spills highlighted by the media came from specific initiatives, with national and foreign private participation. As a conclusion, it is possible to assert that the STL could conduct attitudes and actions in a different way, promoting more efficiency and equity in the communication between the people directly involved with the oil spill or between the media and society in general.