Impacts of Climate Change on the Caatinga Biome in the Perception of Teachers from the Municipal Public Network of General Sampaio - Ceará

Abstract The Caatinga biome is the place where 28.6 million people live and has been identified as an ecological region vulnerable to climate change. This opens the possibility for the adoption of adaptive measures in the population in the near future. In this perspective, the population's awareness can help in the process of adapting to climate change, which can be achieved through formal education and from the perception of social agents. However, are social agents, specifically, elementary school teachers perceiving climate change? The present study sought to analyze the perception level of public school teachers in the municipality of General Sampaio (CE), in relation to the impacts of climate change on the Caatinga biome. To this end, a field research was carried out with interviews involving 10 elementary school teachers, who teach in the disciplines of Science and Geography. The interviews were processed using the IRAMUTEQ software, a computerized method of textual analysis and analyzed in a qualitative way. The results showed that teachers perceive climatic variations, through changing thermal sensations, extreme droughts and off-season rain. However, they do not recognize the risks that the Caatinga biome and the population are taking in the face of the threat of climate change.