An Exploration of Polluter - pays Principle of International Environmental Law Mechanism for Confronting Environmental Pollution in Nigeria

Abstract

In the preamble of its Charter, the United Nations determined to establish, among others, ‘conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained’. Polluter-pays principle of the RIO Earth Summit under the umbrella of the UN establishes the issue of justice to the victims of environmental pollution (abuse). Accordingly, Environmental Law and Polluter-pays principles have become a mechanism for ameliorating the effect of environmental degradation, protection of the environment and instrument to addressing the issue of justice that emerges when there is an occasion of environmental violation. In this paper, a critical explorative navigation is undertaken to establish the credibility or otherwise of the mechanism in Nigeria environmental effort in confronting its environmental abuse.