ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC CIVIL ACTION IN THE CONTEXT OF BRAZILIAN STRUCTURAL LITIGATION: THE CASE OF LAGOA DA CONCEIÇÃO IN FLORIANÓPOLIS/SC
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/kvdgdq11Keywords:
Structural litigation; environmental public civil action; socio-ecological governance; Lagoa da Conceição; judicial effectiveness.Abstract
This article analyzes Public Civil Action No. 5012843-56.2021.4.04.7200/SC, filed in response to the socio-environmental disaster that occurred at Lagoa da Conceição, in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, from the perspective of environmental structural litigation and the challenges related to the effectiveness of judicial decisions in complex ecological disputes. The study is based on the premise that environmental conflicts involving multiple stakeholders, persistent institutional failures, and ongoing ecological risks require judicial mechanisms capable of promoting structural transformations and strengthening socio-ecological governance. The objective is to examine the potentialities and limitations of structural litigation as an instrument of environmental protection, with particular emphasis on the creation of the Judicial Chamber for the Protection of Lagoa da Conceição and the obstacles faced in implementing the court-ordered measures. Methodologically, this is a basic, qualitative, descriptive, and explanatory study developed through bibliographic review, documentary analysis, and case law examination, using the inductive method. The findings indicate that structural litigation expands environmental protection by fostering cooperative, participatory, and interinstitutional solutions. It is concluded that the effectiveness of structural environmental decisions depends on overcoming administrative fragmentation, strengthening institutional capacities, and consolidating permanent mechanisms of ecological governance.
Downloads
References
BENJAMIN, Antônio Herman. Constitucionalização do ambiente e ecologização da Constituição brasileira. In: CANOTILHO, José Joaquim Gomes; LEITE, José Rubens Morato (org.). Direito constitucional ambiental brasileiro. 3. ed. São Paulo: Saraiva, 2010. p. 77-150.
BOSSELMANN, Klaus. The Principle of Sustainability: Transforming Law and Governance. 2. ed. London: Routledge, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315553962
BRASIL. Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil de 1988. Brasília, DF: Presidência da República, 1988.
BRASIL. Lei n.º 7.347, de 24 de julho de 1985. Disciplina a ação civil pública de responsabilidade por danos causados ao meio ambiente, ao consumidor, a bens e direitos de valor artístico, estético, histórico, turístico e paisagístico, e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial [da] República Federativa do Brasil, Brasília, 25 jul. 1985.
CARVALHO, Délton Winter de. Desastres ambientais e sua regulação jurídica: deveres de prevenção, resposta e compensação ambiental. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2015.
CARVALHO, Délton Winter de. Direito dos desastres. 2. ed. São Paulo: Thomson Reuters Brasil, 2024.
FENSTERSEIFER, Tiago. Direitos fundamentais e proteção do ambiente: a dimensão ecológica da dignidade humana no marco jurídico-constitucional do Estado Socioambiental de Direito. 3. ed. Porto Alegre: Livraria do Advogado, 2024.
FLORIANÓPOLIS (Município). Emenda à Lei Orgânica n.º 47, de 12 de novembro de 2019. Altera o art. 133 da Lei Orgânica do Município de Florianópolis para reconhecer os direitos da natureza e promover a proteção dos ecossistemas naturais. Florianópolis: Câmara Municipal de Florianópolis, 2019.
HAAS, Peter M. When does power listen to truth? A constructivist approach to the policy process. Journal of European Public Policy, London, v. 11, n. 4, p. 569-592, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1350176042000248034
KOTZÉ, Louis J. Global Environmental Constitutionalism in the Anthropocene. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2023.
KOTZÉ, Louis J.; KIM, Rakhyun E. Earth System Law: The Juridical Dimensions of Earth System Governance. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.
LEITE, José Rubens Morato. Dano ambiental: do individual ao coletivo extrapatrimonial. 7. ed. São Paulo: Thomson Reuters Brasil, 2024.
MACHADO, Paulo Affonso Leme. Direito ambiental brasileiro. 31. ed. São Paulo: Malheiros, 2023.
MEADOWCROFT, James. National sustainable development strategies: features, challenges and reflexivity. European Environment, Hoboken, v. 17, n. 3, p. 152-163, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.450
MILARÉ, Édis. Direito do Ambiente. 13. ed. São Paulo: Thomson Reuters Brasil, 2025.
OSTROM, Elinor. Governing the commons: the evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807763
RODRIGUES, Marcelo Abelha. Direito ambiental esquematizado. 10. ed. São Paulo: SaraivaJur, 2023.
TRIBUNAL REGIONAL FEDERAL DA 4ª REGIÃO (TRF4). Ação Civil Pública n.º 5012843-56.2021.4.04.7200/SC. 6ª Vara Federal de Florianópolis. Florianópolis, 2021.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Antônio Ferreira do Norte Filho, Flávio Humberto Pascarelli Lopes

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits the sharing of the work with proper acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal;
Authors are authorized to enter into separate, additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., posting in an institutional repository or publishing it as a book chapter), provided that authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged, and that the work is adapted to the template of the respective repository;
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post and distribute their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this may lead to productive exchanges and increase the impact and citation of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access);
Authors are responsible for correctly providing their personal information, including name, keywords, abstracts, and other relevant data, thereby defining how they wish to be cited. The journal’s editorial board is not responsible for any errors or inconsistencies in these records.
PRIVACY POLICY
The names and email addresses provided to this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes of this publication and will not be made available for any other purpose or to third parties.
Note: All content of the work is the sole responsibility of the author and the advisor.
