Aligning Nigeria’s International Obligations: A Comprehensive Analysis of Environmental Protection within the Industrial Law and Policy Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2521-2583/15159Keywords:
climate change, environmental protection, economic development, industrialisation, international law, sustainable developmentAbstract
Environmental protection is a global concern but action taken varies widely. The absence of sustainable practices in labour and industrial policies in Nigeria has contributed significantly to environmental degradation. This is due to the non-internalisation of environmental concerns and non-adherence to international environmental laws and obligations, which has led to the absence of environmental protection standards as a factor in investment decisions. Studies have shown that minimising environmental impact is essential for the planet and the long-term success and reputation of a business. Therefore, in this article it is argued that a comprehensive set of guidelines and procedures to govern operations in areas such as waste management pollution, energy use, and emissions reduction, as well as employee training and engagement in sustainable practices, will minimise environmental footprints and positively impact on communities. Understanding that commitment to international obligations and national policies reflects the belief that business has a crucial role in preserving the environment for future generations, a regular assessment of progress towards meeting these obligations and seeking opportunities for continuous improvement in national laws are recommended. Employing a legal analysis and literature review methodology, the article will outline and review environmental and industrial policies in Nigeria to see what review or amendment options are available in line with the commitments and obligations under international law, while also making inferences from select countries.
References
Africanews with AP, ‘Nigeria’s Delta attempts cleanup after decades of oil spill, gas flaring’ (Africanews 20 October 2021) accessed 1 December 2023.
Aghion, P, Boulanger, J and Cohen, E, ‘Rethinking Industrial Policy’ (Bruegel Policy Brief No. 183, UNCTAD, April 2011).
Aiginger K, ‘Towards New Dynamics: A Science-Based Vision for Europe’ (INET Conference, Toronto, April 2014).
Alfaro–Nunez A and Bermudez R, ‘The Scientific Problem of Plastic Pollution: An Ocean of Reports with Little Standardisation of Procedures’ (2018) 3 Bionatura <https://doi.org/10.21931/RB/2018.03.03.1>
Berg J and Cazes S, The Doing Business Indicators: Measurement Issues and Political Implications (International Labour Organization 2007).
Birnie P and Boyle A, International Law & The Environment (2nd edn, OUP 2002).
Boulding K, ‘The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth’ in H Jarrett (ed), Environmental Quality in a Growing Economy (John Hopkins Press 1996).
Castillo M, Green Jobs, Green Economy, Just Transition and Related Concepts: A Review of Definitions Developed through Intergovernmental Processes and International Organisations (International Labour Office 2023).
Chen R, ‘China’s Circular Economy Policies: Review and Reflection’ in S Vlieger de Oliveira and C Mahut (eds), A Circular Economy Vision (Circular Innovation Lab 2023).
Duckett A, ‘Trafigura Story Breaks’ (The Chemical Engineer, 13 October 2009) <http://www.tcetoday.com/tcetoday/NewsDetail.aspx?nid=12188>
Ejenavi, OL, Comparative International Law, Approaches for Optimizing Petro-Wealth in Nigeria: The Sustainable Development Pathway (Paclerd Press Limited 2021).
Ferrannini A, Barbieri E, Biggeri M and Di Tommaso MR, Industrial Policy for Sustainable Human Development in the Post-Covid19 Era (2021) 137 World Development <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105215>
Goldie LFE, A General View of International Environmental Law: A Survey of Capabilities, Trends and Limits (Hague Colloque 1973).
Gray WB, Environmental Regulations and Business Decisions (2015) 1 (187) IZA World of Labor <https://wol.iza.org/articles/environmental-regulations-and-business-decisions/long#:~:text=Environmental%20regulations%20raise%20production%20costs,locations%20with%20less%20stringent%20regulation>
IndustriALL Global Union, Towards Sustainable Industrial Policy (Discussion Paper, 2013).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ‘Climate Change 2013 The Physical Science Basis’ in TF Stocker, D Qin, G-K Plattner, M Tignor, SK Allen, J Boschung, A Nauels, Y Xia, V Bex and PM Midgley (eds), Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (CUP 2013) <https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324>
International Labour Organization (ILO), ‘Sustainable Development, Decent Work and Green Jobs’ (International Labour Conference 102nd Session, Report V, 2013).
International Labour Organization, Labour Laws, the Business Environment and Growth of Micro and Small Enterprises: Nepal—Country Report (2014) <https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_344398.pdf>
Jambeck JR, Geyer R, Wilcox C, Siegler TR, Perryman M, Andrady A, Narayan R and Law KL, ‘Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean’ (2015) 347 (6223) Science <https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352>
Kawashima S, ‘A Survey of Environmental Law and Policy in Japan’ (1994) 20 NCJ Int’l L. & Com. Reg.
Lebreton, L, Slat B, Ferrari F, Sainte-Rose B, Aitken J, Marthouse R, Hajbane S, Cunsolo S, Schwarz A, Levivier A, Noble K, Debeljak P, Maral H, Schoeneich-Argent R, Brambini R and Reisser J, ‘Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is Rapidly Accumulating Plastic’ (2018) 8 (1) Scientific Reports <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22939-w>
Mackielo AL, ‘Court Rules of International Environmental Law’ (2009) 16 (1) ILSA Journal of International Comparative Law.
Manson B, ‘Toxic Waste Dumping in Ivory Coast’ (World Socialist Web Site, 24 October 2006) <http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/oct2006/ivor-o24.shtml>
Mathieu-Denoncourt J, Wallace SJ, de Solla SR and Langlois VS, ‘Plasticizer Endocrine Disruption: Highlighting Developmental and Reproductive Effects in Mammals and Non-Mammalian Aquatic Species’ (2015) 219 Gen. Comp. Endocrinol <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.11.003>
Okowa PN, ‘Procedural Obligations in International Environmental Agreement’ (1996) 67 (1) British Yearbook of International Law <https://doi.org/10.1093/bybil/67.1.275>
PwC, ‘Global Mines Report 2023, Nigerian Mining–Progress, but Still a Long Way To Go’ (July 2023) <https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/assets/pdf/nigerian-mining-progress-but-still-a-long-way-to-go1.pdf>
Rickman A, ‘The Role of Industry in Environmental Protection’ (1995) 2 (1) Eco‐Management and Auditing: The Journal of Corporate Environmental Management <https://doi.org/10.1002/ema.205>
Rodrick D, ‘Industrial Policy for the Twenty-First Century’ (Paper prepared for UNIDO, September 2004) <https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.617544>
Sands P, Principles of International Environmental Law (2nd ed, CUP 2003) <https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511813511>
Sansone G, Fong GT, Meng G, Craig LV, Xu SS, Quah ACK, Ouimet J, Mochizuki Y, Yoshimi I and Tabuchi T, ‘Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Public Places and Support for Smoke-Free Laws in Japan: Findings from the 2018 ITC Japan Survey’ (2020) 17 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health <https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030979>
Virendra S, Kishor J, and Kishor P ‘Impact of Human Beings on Environment’ (2015) International Journal of Research in Biosciences, Agriculture and Technology.
Westphal N and Pfeffer K, Decent Work in Waste Management: A Baseline Study on the Ward Contractor System in the City of Windhoek (International Labour Organization, 2013) <https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_emp/@emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_242573.pdf> accessed March 14, 2023.
Weidner H, ‘Environment Protection in Japan: Development and Prospects’ in Wolfgang Klenner (ed), Trends of Economic Development in East Asia: Essays in Honour of Willy Kraus (Springer 1989) <https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73907-1_21>
Weitzdorfer J and Reimers LL, ‘Japan’ in Emma Lees and Jorge E Viñuales (eds), The Oxford Book of Comparative Environmental Law (OUP 2019).
Xu, LC, The Effects of Business Environments on Development: Surveying New Firm-Level Evidence (Policy Research Working Paper Number 5402 World Bank, 2010) <https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-5402>
Yang L, Yuan S and Sun L, ‘The Relationships between Economic Growth and Environmental Pollution Based on Time Series Data: An Empirical Study of Zhejiang Province’ (2012) 7 (1) Journal of Cambridge Studies.
Zhang B, Bi J, Ge J, Wang S and Liu, LX, Empirical Study of Environmental Kuznets Curve in South Jiangsu (2008) 28 (3) Economic Geography.
Zhang K and Wen ZG, ‘China’s Reform and Open Policy and Environmental Protection’ (2001) 20(2) Shanghai Environmental Sciences.
Zhang K and Wen ZG, ‘Review and Challenges of the Policies of Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in China’ (2008) 88 (4) Journal of Environmental Management <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.06.019>
Legislation
Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control (2015 Revision).
Air Pollution Prevention Act, Law No. 97 of 1968.
Basic Law for Environment Pollution Law of 1993.
Circular Economy Promotion Law (2008), Order (No. 4).
Compensation Act for Nuclear Damages of 1961.
Compensation Act for Nuclear Damages, Law No. 147 of 1961.
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.
Construction Standard Act of 1970.
Construction Standard Act Law No. 109 of 1970.
Environmental Impact Assessment 1992.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency Act of 1988.
Fundamental Act for Atomic Energy, Law No. 186 of 1955.
Fundamental Environmental Pollution Control Law No. 132/1967.
Fundamental Act for Environment (or The Basic Environment Law), Law No. 91 of 1993.
Labour Act 1971. Cap 198 LFN 2004.
Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency Law 2017.
Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste 2004.
Law on Conserving Energy 2007.
Measures for the Disclosure of Environmental Information (for trial implementation) 2007.
Measures for Environmental Administrative Punishment 2010.
National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (Establishment) (NESREA) Act of 2007.
National Policy on Solid Waste Management 2018, 2020.
National Policy on Plastic Waste Management 2020.
Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007.
The Factories Act 2004.
Water Pollution Prevention Act, Law No. 138 of 1970.
Policy Documents
Department of Trade and Industry, Republic of South Africa, National Industrial Policy Framework.
International Labour Organization (ILO), Guideline for a Just Transition towards Environmentally Sustainable Economies and Societies for All (ILO, 2015).
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Environmental Performance Review of Japan (OECD, 2002) <https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264033931-en>
Regulations
Administrative Regulation on Levy and Use of Pollutant Discharge Fee 2003.
Flare Gas (Prevention of Waste and Pollution) Regulations 2018.
National Environmental Protection (Pollution Abatement in Industries and Facilities Generating Wastes) Regulations 1991.
Cases
International Court of Justice, Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay (Argentina v Uruguay), Judgment, ICJ Reports 2010 <https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1705810>
International Legal Instruments and Conventions
Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) 2018.
Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (UN-Dokument A/42/427, 1987).
Chemicals Convention 1990 (No. 170).
World Bank, Doing Business in 2005: Removing Obstacles to Growth (World Bank 2005).
International Labour Office, A Report on Micro and Small Enterprise Policy Review in Nepal Series 7 (ILO 2005).
International Court of Justice, Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, Advisory Opinion, ICJ Reports 1996.
International Labour Office, Committee on Employment and Social Policy. For Debate and Guidance (GB.297/ESP/1 297th Session, ILO, November 2006).
Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, A/CONF.151/26/Rev.1 (Vol. 1), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992.
Safety and Health in Agriculture Convention 2001 (No. 184).
Asbestos Convention 1986 (No. 162).
The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972.
United Nations Environmental Programme, Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damages Resulting from Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, Texts and Annexes.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Manual on Ocean Statistics: Towards a Definition of Indicator 2018.
United Nations Environment Programme, Understanding the State of the Ocean: A Global Manual on Measuring SDG 14.1.1, SDG 14.2.1 and SDG 14.5.1, 2021.
United Nations Stockholm Convention on the Persistent Organic Pollutants.
United Nations Environment Programme, Global Chemicals and Waste Indicator Review Document 2021.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992.
United Nations, Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, A/CONF.48/14/Rev.1, 16 June 1972.
United Nations, Sustainable Development, United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3–14 June 1992, Agenda 21.
United Nations, The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, An Opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean 2018 (LC/G.2681-P/Rev.3).
Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention 1977 (No. 148).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Accepted 2023-12-11
Published 2024-04-17
