Nigeria exports crude oil, and imports refined petroleum products. International journal of environment and pollution research vol. The government and policy makers can adopt the following measures to solve the problem of oil spillage in nigeria. Crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantities in nigeria in 1956, while actual production started in 1958. Oil pollution and water quality in the niger delta. The awardwinning documentary, drilling and killing by amy goodman, jeremy scahill and dred scott keyes assassins in foreign lands. The importance, effect, causes, relationship, comparison, history, role, solutions are discussed. Environmental impacts of oil exploration and exploitation.
In february 2005, nigeria announced the award of five oil blocks in the joint development zone jdz, shared by nigeria and neighboring sao tome and principe stp. This paper examined the effects of oil pollution on the environment. Data for nigeria included in the newly released little green data book 2015 indicates that 94% of the population is exposed to air pollution levels measured in pm2. Causes and effects of air pollution in nigeria legit.
Pdf oil exploration and production results in various problems ranging from oil spills, gas flaring, habitat destruction, air and water pollution as. Oil spill occurs due to the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the aquatic environment. Environmental crime liability of the nigerian government in its oil. The harmful chemicals released from oil spills can cause cancer, or kidney and liver. Oil pollution across antarctica is low compared with other regions of the world, concentrated at. Fight continues for nigeria oil spill victims, al jazeera, june 8, 2010. An overview of pollution in nigeria and the impact of. Since nigeria discovered the black gold in oloibiri, bayelsa state in 1956 the environment has been wrought with oil spills. We compare siblings conceived before and after nearby oil spills and find that nearby oil spills double the. Shell lawsuit re oil pollution in nigeria business.
Health risks associated with oil pollution in the niger. Coker department of civil engineering university of ibadan ibadan environment according to federal environmental protection agency fepa act of 1990, under. The oil industry is accused of a sharp double standard in its operations of taking advantage of nigerias lack of environment law and weak regulation, while observing higher standards of safety. Hence, the need to appraise the current levels of pollution, and environmental protection legislations in nigeria with a view to enacting a new legislation. Implications for the sustainability of the mangrove ecosystem. Oil pollution is an ever present threat in the marine environment with large numbers of spills, both large and small, being recorded every year european environment agency, 2006. Shell lawsuit re oil pollution in nigeria the plaintiffs filed three separate lawsuits, each one addressing the impact of oil spillages in the three villages oruma, goi and ikot ada udo. The report found severe soil ground and tapwater contamination, destruction of mangroves, and that institutional control measures in place both in the oil industry and the government were not implemented adequately. The socioeconomic and ecological importance of conservation of the environment is incontestable. Companies referred to include multinationals shell, chevron, eni, exxonmobil and total, and the nigerian state oil company, nigerian national petroleum corporation nnpc. Environmental policies and strategies in nigeria oil and.
Nov 09, 2015 oil pollution in the niger delta region of nigeria. Shell nigeria is the common name for royal dutch shells nigerian operations carried out through four subsidiariesprimarily shell petroleum development company of nigeria limited spdc. Nigeria as a nation and as an exporter of crude oil is presumed to be potential place. Marine water is especially affected by this form of pollution. Developing an effective mechanism of oil pollution management in. Most of the nigerian oil is extracted on the shelf of the gulf of guinea. Animal studies indicate that contact with nigerian crude oil could be hemotoxic and.
Breakdown of oil pollution regulations and clean up arrangement. Get your free pdf by completing the following form. History of the nigerian petroleum industry oil was discovered in nigeria in 1956 at oloibiri in the niger delta after half a century of exploration. Get free research paper on environmental pollution in nigeria. Environmental pollution, types, causes, impact and management. Dutch appeals court says shell may be held liable for oil spills in nigeria. This is approved for students in accountancy, business, computer science, economics, engineering, arts. The main causes of environmental pollution in nigeria lie in the activities of companies dealing with oil extraction, transporting, import, and export. Agabi ja 1995 introduction to the nigeria environment. Judges in the hague ordered shell to make available to the court documents that might shed. Oil pollution is without a doubt a serious issue in nigeria today. Italian oil giant eni, which owns the nigerian agip oil company is a smaller player in the niger delta than shell and has received less attention.
Federation of nigeria 1990 for example, determined that oil operators should implement all practical precautions to prevent the pollution of the land, rivers, the territorial waters and other natural resources and where such pollution occurred shall take prompt step to control and, if. It is the largest wetland and maintains the thirdlargest. Petroleum, pollution and poverty in the niger delta index. The niger delta region of nigeria has been inundated with oil pollution since. The vast majority of natural gas found in nigeria is associated, meaning that it occurs in crude oil reserves as free gas. Afr 440172009 amnesty international june 2009 7 section i 1. Claim for damages to land and environment arising from oilconnected pipelaying activities responsibility of the holder of an oil pipeline license whether the construction, operation and maintenance of oil pipeline by a holder of oil prospecting licence is an act pertaining to mining operation. It was filed in 1996 by the family of ken sarowiwa, an author and activist, in the united states district court.
Jan 26, 2017 nigerian oil pollution claims against shell cannot be heard in uk, court rules. Effect of oil spills on infant mortality in nigeria pnas. Impacts and management of oil spill pollution along the. Nigerian oil pollution claims against shell cannot be. Aug, 2016 oil pollution is most common in large water bodies like seas and oceans. Framework for criminal intent in an intentfree moral.
The nigerian government plans to expand its proven reserves to 40 billion barrels by 2010. The human health implications of crude oil spills in the. The discovery was made by shellbp, at the time the sole concessionaire. Oil pollution occurs when crude oil and its refined products are spilled into the environment by the activities of man. Nigeria by esther sako ma, hull university, england1991 ba, university of london, england1987 dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy public. Air pollution in nigeria air pollution kills thousands of people in nigeria every year, with urban dwellers worst affected, the who data shows. But, like most industrial activities, it produces environmental hazards that are slow poisons, in that they often take months and years to cause disease and death. Since crude oil was first discovered in nigeria in 1958, oil exploration has continued in the nigerdelta. The human health implications of crude oil spills in the niger delta. Environment, pollution, sabotage, hydrocarbon, acid rain, ijaw community introduction niger delta region is rated as the most oil impacted environment and polluted area in the world most especially by environmental experts from the uk, the usa and nigeria.
Oil production is the main source of revenue in nigeria. Oil, regulatory enforcement and environmental justice in the united states. Nigeria by esther sako ma, hull university, england 1991 ba, university of london, england 1987 dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy public health walden university february 2017. Oil and gas journal 2005 estimates nigerias proven oil reserved at 35. We fill this gap by studying the causal effects of onshore oil spills on neonatal and infant mortality rates. Nigerian oil pollution claims against shell cannot be heard. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Due to the many forms of oil generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Frameworks to advance environmental justice in developing countries. Abstract water pollution from crude oil spills in the mangrove ecosystem was investigated. Air pollution in nigeria and many other countries in africa and all over the world is a big problem of the 21st century. Crude oil soiled intertidal31 a framework for determining the compensable value of damages due to contamination to wetlands in the niger delta.
An indirect assessment of the effects of oil pollution on the diversity. Health risks associated with oil pollution in the niger delta. Pdf oil pollution is without a doubt a serious issue in nigeria today. There have been over 25 major oil spills in the oceans of the world since 1967 when the torrey canyon ran aground off cornwall on march 18 discharging 38. Article pdf available august 2015 with 10,807 reads. Shell oil spills led to astonishingly high pollution in. For the ogoni and the people of nigeria, oil and oil companies have brought poverty, environmental devastation and widespread, severe human rights abuses. Mar 19, 2019 onshore oil spills can lead to irreversible environmental degradation and potentially pose hazards to human health, but scientific evidence on their health effects is lacking.
Oil exploration and exploitation is very lucrative, and a major revenue earner in nigeria. Environment, pollution, sabotage, hydrocarbon, acid rain, ijaw community introduction niger delta region is rated as the most oilimpacted environment and polluted area in the world most especially by environmental experts from the uk, the usa and nigeria. Hundreds of oil spills a year from poorlymaintained pipelines and wells, along with. Jun 08, 2018 oil and gas law payment of compensation. The ogoniland region remains afflicted with contaminated lands and water despite clean up promises. Niger delta of nigeria victor abaecheta akujuru a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of doctor of philosophy. Oil pollution is primarily a manmade pollution and is a result of human irresponsible activities. Oil pollution in the niger delta region of nigeria. When oil disasters occurred such as the exxon valdez tanker near alaska and the deepwater horizon drilling platform in the gulf of mexico, public indignation and attention was great and an emergency action plan was announced at lightning speed. In nigeria, the impacts of oil spill appear more devastating owing to the fact that. Judges in the hague ordered shell to make available to the court. Oil and gas journal 2005 estimates nigeria s proven oil reserved at 35. In 2011, nigeria commissioned a report from the united nations on the impact of oil extraction in the delta area of ogoniland. There are many documented cases of oil spillage in the niger delta region, southern.
John vidal wrote in his guardian blog january, 29, 20 that in his trip in january to the delta, people were telling him that if anything, the pollution was getting worse. Crude oil spill, health impact, niger delta, nigeria, oilbearing. The perspective of an operator in nigeria oil industry. Public health implications of oil pollution in koluama. Jun 10, 2010 oil corporations in the niger delta seriously threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Liability for oil pollution under the common law 2. Home to 20 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, this floodplain makes up 7. Processos interativos homemmeio ambiente interactive manenvironment processes, 1 ed. Eghosa osa ekhator abstract nigeria operates a command and control regulatory framework in the oil and gas sector. Pdf, epub, full text, audio unceasing customer service.
The environment provides man with the and food for his survival on earth, many activities of man have changed the natural constituents of the environment which portend danger to man and his environment pollution is the introduction of any substance at the rate faster. Royal dutch shells joint ventures account for more than 21% of nigeria s total petroleum production629,000 barrels per day 100,000 m 3 d bpd in 2009. The first lawsuit against shell outside nigeria took years to be heard in court. Nigeria is the largest oil producer in africa and the eleventh largest producer of crude oil in the world. We compare siblings conceived before and after nearby oil spills and find that nearby oil. Nigeria joined the ranks of oil producers in 1958 when its first oil field came on stream producing 5,100 bpd. Shell oil spills led to astonishingly high pollution in nigeria. Prospecting and extraction of petroleum occur in over 50% of the niger delta region, resulting in a cornucopia of access roads, pipelines, wells, gas flaring, dredged spoils and flow stations that are often located near homes, schools, farms, and within communities. On top of the 349 spills in 2014, eni reported more than 500 oil spills in 20. Slippery justice for victims of oil spills africa renewal. But the number of oil spills from its operations requires urgent action by both the nigerian and italian governments. This report is based on fieldwork carried out in the niger delta in march and april 2008, as well as desk research and f. Royal dutch shells joint ventures account for more than 21% of nigerias total petroleum production629,000 barrels per day 100,000 m 3 d bpd in 2009 from more than eighty fields. Comparative analysis of the legislation relating to oil pollution matters with a view of achieving environmental justice.
Environmental pollution, types, causes, impact and. The first discussions about air pollution becoming a global issue began in the 1960s and continues in 2018. Nigeria is the largest oil and gas producer in africa. In lagos, nigeria, a plea for action against pollution. Onshore oil spills can lead to irreversible environmental degradation and potentially pose hazards to human health, but scientific evidence on their health effects is lacking.
Oil pollution is one of the most predominant forms of ocean pollution causing severe damages to amenities, ecosystems, and resources. Prospecting and extraction of petroleum occur in over 50% of the niger delta region, resulting in a cornucopia of access roads, pipelines, wells, gas flaring, dredged spoils and flow stations that are often located near homes, schools, farms, and within. In nigerian environment, national conservation foundation. A dutch appeals court ruled on friday that royal dutch shell can be held liable for oil spills at its subsidiary in nigeria, potentially opening the way for other compensation claims against the multinational. According to nelson, 1999 pollution is said to occur when there is a release into the environment of substances and energy in quantities which are detrimental to man and other living organisms.
Environmental impacts of oil exploration and exploitation in the niger delta of nigeria. Shell oil spills that havent been cleaned up for over eight years have contributed to astonishingly high levels of pollution in a nigerian community, according to a consultant who helped. Snape, in oil spill science and technology second edition, 2017. Environmental pollution and sustainable development in nigeria. Oil pollution has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem and its effect are usually very visible and sometimes very devastating. For more information, the following are good places to start.