The Braskem case in Maceió, Alagoas: socioenvironmental issues with historical, ethical, and philosophical implications for geoscience education and outreach

Abstract

Braskem is one of the world’s largest petrochemical corporations and among Brazil’s most profitable companies, operating for decades in the city of Maceió, state of Alagoas, in northeastern Brazil. Beginning in the 1970s, Braskem conducted halite mining in Maceió, which culminated in 2018 in one of the most severe socioenvironmental crises in recent history: ground subsidence across five neighborhoods within a 3.6 km2 area, directly affecting approximately 60,000 people. Since then, specialized literature has produced a range of analyses of the event and its socioeconomic consequences; however, none have focused on the historical, geoethical, and philosophical implications for geoscience education and science communication. Drawing on primary Brazilian sources, most notably the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission’s final report on Braskem and video recordings of its hearings, we (i) develop theoretical discussions concerning the role of the geosciences in the world informed by decolonial conceptions of science, and (ii) offer practical recommendations for curricula and science–art pedagogies that cultivate a more critical geoscience, attentive to our deep interrelations with planet Earth. From a history‑and‑philosophy‑of‑science perspective, the Braskem case in Maceió enables reflection on conceptions of history, nature, and the philosophy of science, and — through case study analysis — expands dialogue about how sciences, particularly the geosciences, are defined and operate in ways that can both mitigate and exacerbate socioenvironmental and socioeconomic inequalities. Between theory and practice, we also reflect on the subjective responsibilities of geoscientists, science communicators, and institutions in confronting the destructive logics of scientific and technological development entangled with death politics, colonialism, and capitalist patriarchy, with historical, ethical/geoethical, and philosophical implications for the geosciences at global scale.