A crise plástica na interface da opinião pública e da política externa brasileira: uma análise da comunicação ambiental a partir das contas do Instagram do MMA e do Greenpeace Brasil (2022-2025)

Abstract

The plastic crisis has become a central theme on the global environmental agenda, subject to various narrative framings within both national and international negotiation spheres. In this context, considering that the formation of public opinion on international policy issues is influenced by narrative disputes on social media, this research investigates how the framing of the plastic crisis is contested in the digital environment, focusing on the Instagram profiles of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment (MMA) and Greenpeace Brazil between 2022 and 2025. The central objective is to analyze the narratives disseminated by these actors and the divergences between the solutions prioritized by these institutions. The theoretical framework is based on studies investigating the relationship between Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, with a focus on environmental themes. Methodologically, the study employs social media content analysis through the monitoring of the two profiles, alongside documentary analysis of the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and descriptive analysis of public opinion survey data in Brazil. It was identified that the MMA adopts a predominantly informative approach focused on downstream solutions—specifically waste management, recycling, and the protagonism of waste pickers—while omitting the responsibility of the petrochemical industry. In contrast, Greenpeace utilizes denunciation and education strategies, focusing on problematizing the upstream stage of the plastic issue; that is, shifting the debate toward the need for production reduction and systemic changes in the plastic life cycle. The results indicate a polarization between the governmental view, which individualizes responsibility, and the activist view, which challenges production structures. The study concludes that this dispute of framings reflects the tensions within Brazilian environmental diplomacy, evidencing that, although the public expresses a desire for systemic changes in surveys, the institutional narrative is still influenced by the perspective of groups aiming to reinforce waste management as the priority perception for resolving the plastic pollution problem.