Entre o balanço de carbono e narrativas: estratégias de comunicação para a sustentabilidade da pecuária de corte brasileira

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was to propose an analytical and applied model to understand and guide digital communication about carbon balance and sustainability in Brazilian beef cattle production, based on the identification of narratives, discursive framings, and forms of translation of scientific knowledge observed in audiovisual content published on YouTube and Instagram. The research was based on the observation that growing concern about climate change and sustainability has intensified public debate regarding the environmental impacts of beef production, often characterized by conceptual oversimplifications, misinformation, and competing narratives in digital environments. Methodologically, the study was structured in three complementary stages. First, a literature review on communication, sustainability, and beef cattle production was conducted. Next, a scoping review of the literature was carried out, guided by systematized procedures for searching, selecting, and mapping evidence, supported by the SysMap® method and by transparency principles associated with PRISMA-ScR, aiming to map scientific production on communication in agribusiness, identify approaches, strategies, and communication theories used in this field, and recognize gaps related to sustainability communication. Finally, a qualitative study was developed based on thematic content analysis of 23 videos published on YouTube® and Instagram® between 2019 and 2026, addressing topics related to carbon balance, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainability in Brazilian livestock production. The results showed that communication about carbon balance in livestock production takes place in an environment characterized by competing narratives and varying levels of informational complexity. Five predominant communication patterns were identified: environmental moralization of livestock production, scientific correction of simplified perceptions, reputation defense anchored in institutions, algorithmic didacticization, and disputes over the framing of carbon and climate responsibility. As the main contribution of the thesis, the MCABCPA – Adaptive Communication Model for Carbon Balance in Brazilian Livestock Production was proposed, structured around five integrated dimensions: scientific, translational, strategic, digital, and interactive. The model is delimited as an analytical and applied instrument for organizing narrative elements, disseminated content, and observable forms of interaction, without claiming to demonstrate causal effects on consumers, purchase intention, public acceptance of technologies, or communication effectiveness. It is concluded that communication plays a relevant role in shaping public perceptions of sustainability in beef cattle production and may contribute to greater transparency and better translation of scientific knowledge. The thesis contributes to studies in environmental communication, science communication, and agribusiness within the limits of the corpus analyzed and the scoping review conducted, and indicates future research directions involving empirical validation of the model, reception analysis, and expansion of the corpus.