ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, SUSTAINABILITY AND MINING COMPANIES: RISK MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS

Risk management aims to prevent catastrophes, which can occur at any time. It is a way to ensure the protection of life, of nature, in environmental and social aspects as well as in economic ones. The environmental disasters that occurred in Mariana (2015) and Brumadinho (2019), arising from mining activities, have provoked important debates about the appropriate ways to effect Environmental Law, the conceptions of risk management, and the ideas and ideals of sustainability. Discussions are permeated by the opinions of environmentalists, government technicians, public authorities, private initiative, and communities. This work has the objective of provoking debates about the importance of risk management in mining companies, in order to avoid environmental catastrophes. With a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory research approach, the need and importance of implementing risk management in mining companies is discussed. Information and data - collected from scientific articles, journalistic publications, and official government reports - were submitted to content analysis. The conclusion was that, in addition to the implementation of risk management models in the mining industry, there is also a need for economic reorientation in order to prevent shareholder profits from overriding human lives and the environment.