Drivers of anthropogenic air emissions in Nigeria - A review

This study presents a review of sources and atmospheric levels of anthropogenic air emissions in Nigeria with a view to reviewing the existence or otherwise of national coordination aimed at mitigating the continued increase. According to individual researcher's reports, the atmospheric loading of anthropogenic air pollutants is currently on an alarming increase in Nigeria. Greater concerns are premised on the inadequacy existing emission inventories, continuous assessment, political will and development of policy plans for effective mitigation of these pollutants. The identified key drivers of these emissions include gas flaring, petroleum product refining, thermal plants for electricity generation, transportation, manufacturing sector, land use changes, proliferation of small and medium enterprises, medical wastes incineration, municipal waste disposal, domestic cooking, bush burning and agricultural activities such as land cultivation and animal rearing. Having identified the key sources of anthropogenic air emissions and established the rise in their atmospheric levels through aggregation of literature reports, this study calls for a review of energy policy, adoption of best practices in the management air emissions and solid wastes as well as agriculture and land use pattern which appear to be the rallying points of all identified sources of emission. The study concluded that the adoption of cleaner energy policies and initiatives in energy generation and usage as against pursuit of thermal plants and heavy dependence on fossil fuels will assist to ameliorate the atmospheric loadings of these pollutants.