Citation

Niquito TW, Pozzobon F, Halmenschlager V, Ribeiro FG. Nat. Hazards 2021; 109(3): 2313-2341.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s11069-021-04921-4

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article analyzes the short-term economic impacts of the collapse of the 'Fundão' mining tailings dam, located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. This event is known as the 'Mariana Tragedy.' It affected several municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo and can be classified as a human-made disaster. We investigate the effects on production, examining the sectors of economic activity (agriculture, industry, and services). The research design consisted of the estimation of spatial-difference-in-differences models. The results showed a negative direct effect on the total GDP ( − 6.81%), on the gross value added of agriculture ( − 12.12%), and industry ( − 15.57%). Regarding indirect effects, the positive impact on the total GDP (+ 2.69%) was a robust effect observed. No effects of the disaster were found on the service sector. The research findings contribute to the discussion on how human-made disasters affect developing economies and may provide support to build public policies for disaster prevention, mitigation, and remediation.

Language: en