Perceptions about massive environmental impacts: a Brazilian study case

Abstract

The year 2019 brought three such impacts of high socio-environmental proportions in Brazil: the dam collapse in Brumadinho, oil spills on the coast, and fires in the Amazon. We investigated the Brazilian population’s perceptions of the country’s overall environmental situation, the degree to which Brazilians felt affected by these impacts considering personal and social factors, and the entities they held responsible for these disasters. Through Facebook’s social media networks, we disseminated structured online surveys for Brazilian citizens above 18 years. Educational background explained how much the 775 respondents felt affected by the three evaluated events. Age was an explanatory factor for the degree to which the respondents felt affected by the dam collapse, and proximity to the disasters, while income levels were for the dam collapse and the fires in the Amazon. The government, criminal activity, and private companies were considered to be the main responsible for these three impacts. This perception reflects the series of changes in the country’s environmental laws and protections that threaten biodiversity and the environment.

Key words Brumadinho dam collapse; environmental impact; environmental perception; fires in Amazon; oil spill