The effects of oil pollution on the marine environment in the Gulf Of Guinea—the bonga oil field example
Abstract
Fish makes a significant contribution to the food security of millions of people in the Gulf of Guinea, accounting for up to 80 per cent of the animal protein, and sometimes the only source of animal protein consumed in coastal communities across the region, including those in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. However, this contribution is increasingly undermined by unsustainable practices that are harmful to the marine environment such as pollution, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and by climate change. This paper focuses on the role that pollution from oil spillages plays in damaging the marine environment, thereby exacerbating food insecurity in the region. Using the Bonga Oil Field spillage example, the paper exposes, from a policy perspective, the manner in which the shortcomings of existing environmental regulations and their implementation in Nigeria weaken efforts for a sustainable marine environment and, by extension, threaten the food security of coastal communities.
Citation
Okafor-Yarwood , I 2018 , ' The effects of oil pollution on the marine environment in the Gulf Of Guinea—the bonga oil field example ' , Transnational Legal Theory , vol. 9 , no. 3-4 , pp. 254-271 . https://doi.org/10.1080/20414005.2018.1562287
Publication
Transnational Legal Theory
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2041-4005Type
Journal article
Collections
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