Legal Framework Addressing Ecological Preservation and Environmental Scarcity in Nigeria

Abstract

Any chemical, physical, or biological agent that alters the atmosphere's natural characteristics is considered air pollution and it is an environmental scarcity problem. Common sources of air pollution include gas flaring, household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities, and forest fires. Particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide are among the pollutants that pose a significant threat to public health and agricultural yields. Air pollution is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and causes respiratory and other diseases. 99 percent of the world's population breathes air that exceeds WHO standards for high levels of pollutants, with the highest exposures occurring in low- and middle-income nations like Nigeria. Global ecosystems and the climate of the planet are intimately connected to air quality. A tool for identifying and preventing natural sources of pollution, preventing environmental threats to population health, and improving people's quality of life in general is a legal framework. The Federal Republic of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, as amended, is Nigeria's supreme law. It emphasized the protection of wildlife, the environment, air, water, and forest sanitation. This study highlights and discusses several international, national, and local laws, acts, and treaties, and concludes that desertification, ozone layer depletion, global warming, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, acid rain, oil spills, and climate change are all largely attributable to human activities. Therefore, man-made disasters may cause the transfer of contaminants made by human activity, which may have a severe impact on the ecology and become harmful to various species.