Environmental Assessment Law and Practice in Nigeria Towards Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in the Country: Cases of SDGs 13 and 17

Abstract

Environmental Assessment (EA) is an environmental protection, generic environmental governance and good governance tool by which the consequences of natural processes and human activities on the environment are predicted and evaluated, to minimise adverse consequences of proposed development project-proposals and maximise positive consequences of the proposals, in order to ensure qualitative environment and social equity, so as to achieve Sustainable Development (SD). Thus, by its inherent nature, EA promotes beneficial environment, by protecting and managing the environment, and contributing to SD and thus the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) in sovereign states, especially developing countries like Nigeria, which are richly endowed with major natural resources but plagued by the resource-curse. Particularly, based on life-cycle assessment and strategic environmental assessment, EA, has the potential to address the ongoing global problem and challenge of climate change, by contributing to improved environmental protection and management of life-cycle development projects, especially major natural resources extractive industrial development projects, in resources-rich global states like Nigeria. This paper demonstrates how EA in the form of life-cycle development projects-level assessment (Environmental Impact Assessment) and Strategic Environmental Assessment in Nigeria can promote the objectives of the EA process and practice, towards achieving informed environmental decision-making, high environmental quality and social equity and high-profile benchmarked business responsibility and sustainability practices, in the effort towards SD and thus the achievement of UNSDGs, particularly Goals 13 and 17 of the UNSDGs (respectively captioned ‘Climate Action’ and ‘Partnerships for the Goals’) in the country. Keywords: Environmental Assessment (EA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Extractive Industrial Operations (EIOs), Petroleum Development Projects, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Government Social Responsibility (GSR), Good Environmental Governance (GEG), Sustainable Development (SD) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/92-07 Publication date: December 31 st 2019