ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS IN BRAZIL: REFLECTIONS ON VULNERABILITY AND RISK PRODUCTION

Abstract

Socio-environmental disasters are complex phenomena resulting from the interaction between natural hazards, historical processes of land occupation, socioeconomic inequalities, and socio-environmental vulnerabilities. In this context, environmental ethics contributes to reflection on individual, collective, and institutional responsibilities in the production of risks and the unequal distribution of disaster impacts. This study analyzed the relationship between environmental ethics and socio-environmental disasters in Brazil. The research was developed through bibliographic and documentary review, with analysis of emblematic cases that occurred in Brazil, such as Petrópolis, Mariana, Brumadinho, and the floods in Rio Grande do Sul. The results demonstrate that disasters express socially constructed processes, related to development models, forms of land use and occupation, and unequal power relations. The importance of preserving the memory of disasters, exemplified by the Petrópolis Memorial, as an instrument for recognizing victims, institutional accountability, and strengthening preventive policies is also highlighted. It can be concluded that incorporating environmental ethics into risk management broadens the understanding of vulnerabilities and promotes the construction of more resilient territories committed to protecting life and the environment.