Novel metric for managing the protection of humanity and the environment against pollution and its adverse effects

Abstract

Pollution prevention and control are very significant for protecting humanity and the environment against pollution and its adverse effects worldwide. The primary resistance of every country to the occurrence of any of the adverse effects of pollution is a function of the country's pollution prevention & control. Strengthening pollution prevention & control in a country is tantamount to preventing the occurrence of any of the adverse effects of pollution (including any of the pollution-related communicable diseases). Knowing the status of the pollution prevention & control in a country will enable its Government to plan and improve on it. This research work conducted a survey on the extent of availability of pollution prevention & control infrastructure, availability of environmental regulatory agencies and compliance of operating companies to environmental regulations in the Niger Delta. Based on the outcome of the survey, this work invented a novel composite metric titled “Pollution Prevention & Control Index” (PPCI) for measuring the status of pollution prevention & control in a country or region. It is a measure of the protection of the population and the environment against pollution and its adverse effects. Results revealed that the higher the pollution prevention & control index of a country, the smaller the work left undone (or the work to be done) to protect the environment and the population of the country against pollution, its adverse effects and vice versa. Results also showed that the generic pollution prevention & control index of a developed country is higher than that of a developing country.