AUC IURIDICA
AUC IURIDICA

Acta Universitatis Carolinae Iuridica (AUCI) is the main journal of the Faculty of Law of Charles University. It has been published since 1954 and is one of the traditional law journals with a theoretical focus.

As a general law journal, it publishes longer studies and shorter articles on any relevant issues in legal theory and international, European and national law. AUCI also publishes material relating to current legislative issues. AUCI is a peer-reviewed journal and accepts submissions from both Czech and international authors. Contributions by foreign authors are published in their original language – Slovak, English, German, French.

AUCI is a theoretical journal for questions of state and law. It is published by Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Law, through Karolinum Press. It is published four times a year, the dates of publication can be found here.

Articles published in AUCI undergo an independent peer review process, which is anonymous on both sides. Reviewers from the field give their opinion on the scientific quality of the paper and the suitability of publication in the journal. In the case of comments, the opinion is sent back to the author with the possibility of revising the text (see Guidelines for Authors – Per Review Process for more details).

The AUCI journal (ISSN 0323-0619) is registered in the Czech National Bibliography (kept by the National Library of the Czech Republic) and in the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (kept by the American Association of Law Libraries). AUCI has been assigned a periodical registration number MK E 18585.

In 2021 the journal AUCI was the first journal of the Faculty of Law of Charles University to be included in the prestigious international database Scopus. This Elsevier database is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature in the world. The editors of the journal expect from the inclusion in the elite Scopus database not only an increase in the readership of the journal, but also an increase in interest in the publication of papers by both Czech and foreign authors.

AUCI is an open journal and all its content is published both on the faculty website and on the Karolinum Press website. Access to it is free of charge. The homepage of AUCI is on the Karolinum Press website.

The AUCI journal uses the Creative Commons license: CC BY 4.0.

Long-term archiving of the digital content of the journal is provided by Portico.

AUC IURIDICA, Vol 69 No 1 (2023), 105–118

Reflection on Nigeria’s Air Pollution Regulations with a View to Learning from the European Union

Adeola Olufunke Kehinde, Ifedapo Oluwakemisola Osadola, Adebusola Awonuga

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/23366478.2023.8
published online: 09. 03. 2023

abstract

The effects of air pollution on all people across the globe cannot be overemphasized. It is a phenomenon that needs urgent attention from all countries of the world. Serious efforts must be made to cut down the greenhouse gas emissions by all nations so as to reduce the menace of air pollution. Various countries including developed, developing and under developed are making efforts to tighten the control of pollution so as to ensure that the rate at which people are exposed to pollutants across their cities are reduced, but in spite of all these efforts, the level of pollution all over the world seems to be going higher, Nigeria inclusive. The level of pollution in Nigeria is still very high and there seems to be no solution around the corner. The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that each year, air pollution is responsible for nearly seven million deaths around the globe. This shows the extent to which air pollution has wrecked and is wreaking havoc on the entire world. This article is necessary at this time as it has been noted that there is no concrete legal framework in Nigeria which addresses air pollution. The existing laws regarding environmental protection are grossly inadequate to take care of the level at which air pollution is ravaging Nigeria as a country; also, the existing laws lack enforcement mechanism. There is a need for the Nigeria government to come up with a standard and adequate law to tackle the menace of air pollution in Nigeria and the country must be ready to ensure that the laws made are adequately enforced. This article examines what air pollution is all about and its effects on human beings and the Nigeria environment at large bringing out lessons Nigeria can learn from the EU.

keywords: air pollution; public health; European Union; air quality; Nigeria

references (29)

1. Air pollution. In: European Environment Agency [online]. [cit. 2022-09-18]. Available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/intro.

2. Comment: Mandela cared deeply about the environment. In: Times Colonist [online]. 11.12.2013 [cit. 2022-02-22]. Available at: https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comment-mandela-cared-deeply-about-the-environment-4603051.

3. Convention on long-range transboundary air pollution. In: United Nations: Treaty Collection [online]. [cit. 2022-10-06]. Available at: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=XXVII-1&chapter=27&clang=_en.

4. CHASANT, M. Air Pollution in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Solutions. In: atcmask [online]. 27.11.2018 [cit. 2022-09-19]. Available at: https://www.atcmask.com/blogs/blog/air-pollution-in-nigeria.

5. DELPHINE, M. The emergence of a right to clean air: transforming European Union law through litigation and citizen science. The Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law (RECIEL). 2020, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 34-45.

6. Environment. In: European Commission [online]. [cit. 2020-02-22]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/quality/standards.htm.

7. Environmental Impact Assessment Act Cap E12 LFN 2004.

8. European Environment Agency (EEA). In: European Union [online]. [cit. 2022-11-06]. Available at: https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/institutions-and-bodies-profiles/eea_en.

9. European environmental law. In: Citizens Information [online]. [cit. 2022-11-06]. Available at: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/environment_and_the_law/eu_environmental_law.html#:~:text=The%20European%20Environment%20Agency%20(EEA,policy%20makers%20and%20the%20public.

10. FULLER, G. Pollution watch: lessons to learn from UK'S 1956 Clean Air Act. The Guardian [online]. 16.7.2021 [cit. 2021-09-17]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/16/pollutionwatch-lessons-to-learn-from-uks-1956-clean-air-act.

11. GEMMER, M. - XIAO, B. Air quality legislation and standards in the European Union: Background, status and public participation. Advances in Climate Change Research. 2013, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 50-59. CrossRef

12. HANS, B. in: European Environment Agency [online]. [cit. 2022-10-06]. Available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/air/intro.

13. Harmful Waste (Special Criminal Provisions etc) Act Cap H1 LFN 2004.

14. ISABELLA, A. The Air of Europe: where are we going? European Respiratory Review. 2017, Vol. 26, No. 146. CrossRef

15. KEHINDE, A. O. Environmental Problems in Nigeria, Pollution in Focus. Economic and Law. 2021, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 9-19. CrossRef

16. KEHINDE, A. O. Legal Control of improper and effect of improper solid waste management in Nigeria. Novena Law Journal. 2019, Vol. 6, No. 2.

17. KUKLINSKA, K. - NAMIESNIK, J. Air quality policy in the U.S, and the EU-a review. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 2015, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 129-137. CrossRef

18. National Environmental (Air Quality Control) Regulations 2014.

19. National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 S.I No. 32 of 2009.

20. National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act 2007Cap 301LFN 2010.

21. Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007.

22. National Open University of Nigeria [online]. [cit. 2022-10-06]. Available at: http://nou.edu.ng/sites/default/files/2017-03/ESM%20311.pdf.

23. Office of Environmental Quality. Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. In: U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE [online]. [cit. 2022-10-06]. Available at: https://www.state.gov/key-topics-office-of-environmental-quality-and-transboundary-issues/convention-on-long-range-transboundary-air-pollution/#:~:text=The%201979%20Convention%20on%20Long,pollution%20and%20better%20understanding%20air.

24. Reports. In: AQLI: Air Quality Life Index [online]. 2021 [cit. 2022-09-19]. Available at: https://aqli.epic.uchicago.edu.

25. THURSTON, G. - KIPEN, H. -ANNESI-MAESANO, I. A joint ERS/ATS policy statement: what constitutes an adverse health effect of air pollution? An analytical framework. European Respiratory Journal. 2017, Vol. 49, No. 1. CrossRef

26. Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). In: University of Oslo: The Faculty of Law [online]. [cit. 2022-11-06]. Available at: https://www.jus.uio.no/english/services/library/treaties/09/9-01/tfeu_cons.xml.

27. UKEMENAM, O. S. Causes and Consequences of Air Pollution in Nigeria. South American Journal Public Health. 2014, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 293-307.

28. UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right. In: Africa Renewal [online]. 28.7.2022 [cit. 2022-10-10]. Available at: https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july-2022/un-general-assembly-declares-access-clean-and-healthy-environment-universal-human.

29. WILLIAM, P. C. The Environmental Impact Assessment Act and the process as an Environmental and Livelihood Advocacy Tool in Defending the Environment. Environmental Defence Newsletter. 2009, Vol. 31, No. 3.

Creative Commons License
Reflection on Nigeria’s Air Pollution Regulations with a View to Learning from the European Union is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

230 x 157 mm
periodicity: 4 x per year
print price: 65 czk
ISSN: 0323-0619
E-ISSN: 2336-6478

Download