Nigeria has suffered environmental degradation from operations in its oil and gas industry for almost 70 years, which began when Shell first found oil in commercial amounts in present-day Bayelsa State. A new law by the European Union placing a methane emissions limit on all fossil fuel imports from 2030 has added to pressure on Nigeria to do more to check gas emissions, recorded in the country principally through gas flaring.
Nigeria’s oil industry, which began when a British joint operation with the Dutch triggered the discovery, has since been marked by litigations and community protests, human rights abuses and twists and turns at the level of regulation.
Even with the Petroleum Industry Act stepping up sanctions for companies that flare gas beyond approved levels, gas flaring has not meaningfully diminished.
