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.