Impact of Dam Collapses on Violence in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The mining sector, over a number of centuries, has become a strong cultural attribute of Minas Gerais. Due to its mining reserves, the state has the biggest concentration of tailings dams built to retain mining waste. This led to large-scale accidents in the last decade – in Mariana (in October 2015) and in Brumadinho (in January 2019). These accidents have shifted the debate about mining in the region, and more widely changed the leading forces among society, bringing a new equilibrium to social relationships. The objective of this paper, as part of a monitoring effort, is to assess the impacts of these accidents on crime and violence as a new face of extractivism. The results can be used to design better responses in terms of welfare programs or compensation efforts, leading to a better and more responsible extractivism.