Os impactos socioambientais decorrentes da exploração de sal-gema em áreas urbanas: um estudo de caso no município de Maceió, Brasil

Abstract

This article analyzes the socio-environmental impacts of rock salt mining in urban areas, based on a case study of the municipality of Maceió, in northeastern Brazil, where mining activities have caused structural effects on the territory and the lives of thousands of residents. The research aimed to clarify the social and environmental repercussions of the extractive activity carried out by the company Braskem S.A., with a focus on the vulnerabilities imposed on the local population and the institutional response to the resulting damages. To this end, a qualitative, exploratory, and explanatory approach was adopted, based on documentary and bibliographic research, using the hypothetical-deductive method, guided by the hypothesis that the fundamental right to a healthy environment has been systematically subordinated to economic interests. The analysis was guided by the theoretical framework of environmental justice and collective environmental law, which enabled the interpretation of the observed socio-environmental conflicts as paradigmatic expressions of structural inequality in the distribution of risks and resources. This is a representative study of the unequal effects of extractive activities in urban contexts, providing relevant insights for the debate on sustainability, justice and human dignity. The results show that, although compensation and reparation mechanisms have been implemented, omissions by public authorities and attempts to expand mining activities into new areas persisted, confirming the urgent need to strengthen the legal protection of vulnerable urban territories and to promote a sustainable development model that prioritizes fundamental collective rights.