Risk, precautionary principle and environmental justice in mining conflicts

Abstract

In the analysis of socioenvironmental conflicts by mining, several studies have pointed out the various causes that give rise to these tension scenarios, especially in local communities. However, one aspect that is not addressed is the perception of risks as a socio-environmental conflict cause. Based on this premise, this work discuss the theories that approach the risks and precautionary principle with the theory of environmental justice in order to identify the common elements between both and their implications in the context of conflicts that involve collectivities. We argue that the analytical link between the precautionary principle and the environmental justice theory allows us to note that in some conflicts regarding mining, in addition to the rejection of risks due to possible polluting effects, there are other interrelated issues of  epistemological, social, cultural, economic and political content that influence in conflict scenarios. The work shows that these interrelations are expressed mainly in the intrinsic limitations of scientific knowledge for the evaluation of risks and uncertainties in complex mining projects, and in the political dispute surrounding the evaluation and decision on risks that could affect incommensurable goods such as the environment, human health and the forms of organization of various communities.