Desastres ambientais, mudanças climáticas e desenvolvimento regional no Rio Grande do Sul

abordagens sociológicas para uma reflexão teórica no novo regime climático

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical, methodological, and epistemological reflection on regional development dynamics in light of climate change and disasters within the context of the New Climate Regime. Drawing on a sociological perspective, the analysis rejects the naturalization of disasters, understanding them instead as socially constructed phenomena rooted in historical, economic, and political processes. It critiques the traditional notion of "natural disasters," arguing that such a framework abdicates social actors of responsibility while ignoring the underlying structures that produce risk and vulnerability. Grounded in the theories of Risk Society, the New New Climate Regime, and the Anthropocene, the discussion highlights how industrial modernity generates global, highly uncertain risks, rendering disasters a tangible manifestation of social conflict and inequality. It also explores the interdisciplinary and sociotechnical nature of disputes surrounding the definition and governance of these events. Turning to the Brazilian context, the article illustrates how disasters reflect flawed development strategies that exacerbate environmental injustice and socio-spatial inequalities. A critical assessment of the vulnerability paradigm reveals its deep alignment with social processes such as unplanned urbanization, institutional precarity, and systemic exclusion. The Rio Grande do Sul floods (2023–2024) serve as a case in point, demonstrating how the distribution of human impacts correlates directly with baseline indicators of municipal institutional capacity. Methodologically, the paper relies on a systematic literature review of sociological research on disasters. The article concludes by emphasizing the pivotal role of sociology in providing a critical understanding of disasters and their inextricable ties to regional development models.