Mining Fields and Their Impacts: A Criminological Perspective on Cross-Pacific Issues in Brazil and Australia

• In Event: Encounters and connections in social policies between the three continents

Abstract

The global demand for mineral resources has intensified extractive activities worldwide, often resulting in severe socio-environmental and economic impacts. This study focuses on multinational corporations like BHP Group Limited, which have been implicated in large-scale harms ranging from environmental degradation in Australia to Brazil's catastrophic Mariana dam disaster. Through a systematic literature review of criminological scholarship in both countries, this paper examines how these damages are conceptualized across socio-political, economic, cultural, and ecological dimensions. The comparative analysis reveals not only divergent legal and academic responses to corporate crime, but also differing levels of institutional resilience to such violations. These findings highlight the need for enhanced transnational dialogue between Brazilian and Australian scholars and policymakers to develop more effective regulatory frameworks capable of addressing the recurring patterns of harm caused by global extractive industries.

Authors

• Leonardo S Agapito, Unesp

• Rayssa O Dantas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)