The environmental impact of petroleum on the environment

Nigeria, a Western African country is particularly prone to the effects of oil pollution because it produces large quantities of crude oil (1.9 million barrels per day) for export. Results compiled by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation over a period of 15 years i.e. between 1976 to 1991 showed that there was a total of 2,976 spills, resulting in the release of 2 million barrels of crude oil into the Nigerian environment, with damaging health and ecological effects, particularly on the southern coastal communities of the country. The environmental and health impact of these spills is made worse by the inappropriate and inadequate environment and health impact assessment processes and policies in Nigeria. However proper environmental and health impact assessment processes of petroleum drilling and transport projects is a major factor helping in the prediction and reduction of the health and environmental impacts of petroleum on the local environment in western Australia. A comparison of the crude oil spills, and its associated environmental and health effects in Western Australia and Nigeria revealed that the rather devastating impact oil pollution in Nigeria is due, in part, to the poor environmental and health impact assessment policies and control procedures employed in Nigeria, particularly in the area of public participation and governmental control of petroleum projects.