Effect of Gas Flaring Into the Ecosystem (A Case Study of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria)
Chapter One
Objectives of the study
This study was undertaken majorly to assess the effect of gas flaring in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
Specific objectives of the study are:
- To examine the effect of gas flaring on the community of living organisms in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
- To ascertain whether there is any significant impact of gas flaring in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
This chapter gives an insight into various studies conducted by outstanding researchers, as well as explained terminologies with regards to the effect of gas flaring into the ecosystem.
The chapter also gives a resume of the history and present status of the problem delineated by a concise review of previous studies into closely related problems.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
One important aspect which I have to put into consideration before conducting this project is todistinguish between Economic and uneconomic growth. Uneconomic growths are growth in productionprocess and services which externalize social and environmental cost that are base on fossil fuels, involvetoxic substance, deplete our natural resources, and degrade the earth’s ecosystem. Why Economic growth,are growth of more efficient production processes and services which fully internalize cost that involverenewable energies, zero emissions, continual recycling of natural resources and restoration of the earth’secosystem (Capra Henderson 2009).
The history of exploitation of natural resources and other environmental and socio-economic deteriorationindicates that something is wrong with the objectives, with approaches to decision making, and withaccounting practices which have been developed by mainstream economists and upon which our societieshave relied. Reliance on monetary control instruments does not seem enough in view of the many failureshat have occurred and the difficulties ahead of us. Just as the aeroplane pilot needs more than one kind ofinstrument to manage his aircraft, something similar may hold for business leaders, politicians,bureaucrats and indeed anyone who cares about the environment. Attempts to modify GNP by addingsomething that is judged valuable and subtracting components which are judged environmentally harmfulmay improve things somewhat, but it will not take us out of the main dogma of monetary thinking. Forthis reason, a recent proposal in Sweden to estimate a ―green GNP‖ in monetary terms is not sufficientand may in fact postpone a necessary transformation of thinking habits in relation to economics. So itseems as if the idea that all factors or impacts can meaningfully be reduced to some monetary equivalenthas to be replaced by a strategy of disaggregation, whereby monetary and non-monetary impacts are keptseparate. According to this disaggregated, and in a sense more holistic idea of economics, non-monetaryimpacts, e.g. changes in the state or ―position‖ of natural resources, are as ―economic‖ as monetaryimpacts (Soderbaum, 1987).
In his article ―The economics of the coming spaceship earth‖, Kenneth Boulding (1966) argues stronglythat stocks (or non-monetary positions in my vocabulary) are important in economic analysis: ―Theessential measure of success of the economy is not production and consumption at all, but the nature,extent, quality, and complexity of the total capital stock, including in this the state of the human bodiesand minds‖.
Green House Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gases are atmospheric gases that cause climate change by trapping heat from the sun inearth‘s atmosphere – that produce the greenhouse effect. Climate change and the obligation to reducegreen house emissions have become one of the most important policy issues in global system. Thegreenhouse effect is the heating of the surface of a planet or moon due to the presence of an atmospherecontaining gases that absorb and emit infrared radiation. Thus greenhouse gases traps heat within thesurface – troposphere system.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter describes methods and procedures used in conducting this research work. The description of the procedure is done under the following headings:
- Research design,
- Area of study
- Population of the study
- Sample and sampling procedure
- Instrumentation
- Procedure for data collection
- Procedure for data analysis
Research Design
The surveys research method was used for this study. This was considered appropriate because survey design generally can be used to effectively investigate problems in realistic settings. The survey technique will also allow the researcher to examine several variables and use multi-variate statistics to analyze data.
Area of the Study
The study was conducted in Port Harcourt, Rivers state Nigeria. Port Harcourt is one of the most beautiful cities in Nigeria. The population of Rivers State, according to the Lagos State Government is 6.5 million, a number disputed by the Nigerian Government and judged unreliable by the National Population Commission of Nigeria. The study was carried out at the Rivers state ministry of education.
Population of the Study
The population consists of the employees of the state ministry of environment Rivers State. With a staff strength of 100 employees (personnel dept, 2015).
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
BIO DATA OF RESPONDENTS
CHAPTER FIVE
FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The objectives of the study were to
- To examine the effect of gas flaring on the community of living organisms in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
- To ascertain whether there is any significant impact of gas flaring in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
Findings from the study revealed the following
- Gas flaring is hazardous to the environment.
- Gas flaring has many effects on the community of living organisms in the Niger delta environment.
- There is a significant impact of gas flaring in the Niger Delta.
- Gas flaring can be reduced in the Niger Delta.
REFERENCES
- A Proposed Comprehensive Model for Elevated Flare Flames and Plumes, David Shore,Flaregas Corporation, AIChE 40th Loss Prevention Symposium, April 2006.
- Ayres, R.U., 2008. Sustainable economics: where do we stand? Ecological economics 67, 281-310.
- AtzioniAmitai (1988) The moral dimension towards a new economy
- Becker, C, 2006. The human actor in ecological economics: philosophical approach and researchperspective. Ecological economics 60, 17-23.
- Boulding, K.E., 1966. The economics of the coming spaceship earth. In: H. Jarret (Editor),
- Brown, L.R., 1981. Building a Sustainable Society. Norton, New York.
- Bromley, D.W., 1989. Economic Interests and Institutions.The Conceptual Foundations ofPublic Policy. Basil Blackwell, New York
- Bryman, A (2004) Social Research Methods. Oxford: Second Edition. Oxford University Press.
- Caldwell, B., 1982. Beyond Positivism. Economic Methodology in the Twentieth Century.Chambers, R & Conway, G Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: Practical Concepts for the 21stCentury, IDS Discussion Paper 296, IDS, Brighton, UK, February, 1992.
- Cosby, P.C (2007) Methods in Behavioral Research.Ninth edition. New York: McGraw-HillPalley, Thomas I .Lifting the Natural Resource Curse. Foreign Service Journal Dec. 2003: 54-61.
- Costanza, 1991 Costanza, R. (Ed.), 1991.Ecological economics.The Science and Managementof Sustainability. Columbia University Press, New York, Oxford.
- Daly H, Cobb, J.B., 1989. For the common good- redirecting the economy toward community,the environment and sustainable future. Beacon Press, Boston.
- Daly H, 1996. Beyond growth- the economics of sustainable development. Beacon Press,Boston.
