ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS AND RISK SOCIETY: A STUDY ON MARIANA AND BRUMADINHO FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ULRICH BECK

Abstract

The economic dimension became the primary interest of developed countries. As a result, the historical negligence of sustainability's social and ecological dimensions led to constant socio-environmental calamities. Examples of this were the disasters in Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019), both located in Minas Gerais, Brazil, involving the mining company Vale. In this study, we aim to relate Beck's (2011) Risk Society theory to the unfolding the aforementioned environmental catastrophes. We based our methodology on theoretical deepening and analysis of public domain documents, from which we selected ten reports published between 2015 and 2022. This course covers the occurrence of socio-environmental disasters. The analysis showed corporate managerial irresponsibility for not promoting prevention and repair projects and actions against environmental crimes. We conclude that socio-environmental degradation comes from articulating crises, risks, and financial production, whose consequences affect humanity.