The Concept, Principle, Law and Developmental Practice of Environmental Democracy towards Sustainable Development in Resources-rich Communities of Developing Countries: Focus on Nigeria’s Oil Producing Delta Region

Abstract

This study explains that environmental democracy is an aspect of Public Participation (PP), of which community participation is also an aspect. On this note, the study examines PP, simply known as ‘participation’, as a concept, principle, as well as a developmental practice, backed by law, in countries around the globe. It demonstrates that PP, particularly, environmental democracy, generates good, sound and long-lasting decisions. It establishes that such decisions protect public interest, enhance social equity, improve the quality of the environment, and promote environmental justice, good environmental governance (GEG), overall good public sector governance (GG) as well as sustainable development (SD), in the course of major natural resources (MNRs) extractive industrial operations (EIOs). EIOs, such as oil and gas, and other mining and mineral resources EIOs in resources-rich communities of developing countries, are exemplified by petroleum resources development operations (PRDOs) in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. Distinguished by its dominant PRDOs, the study features Nigeria as a typical example of a developing country plagued by the resource curse, and that the country is far from achieving SD, particularly sustainable petroleum resources development operations (SPRDOs) and sustainable community development (SCD) in its oil-rich Delta region. The study establishes that genuine environmental democracy, which is globally acknowledged and widely accepted, is that which is stipulated in Principle 10 of Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992, elaborated in the Aarhus Convention, 1998, cemented in the UN Brisbane Declaration on Community Engagement, 2005, and being profoundly canvassed by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA: the leading global network on environmental democracy in the realm of Impact Assessment [IA]) and the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2: the worldwide organisation exceptionally advancing and extending the practice of PP). The study recommends that the worldwide landmark degree of environmental democracy, which is regarded as genuine, should be practised in Nigeria to promote SPRDOs and SCD in the oil-rich communities of the Delta region, as well as stimulate greater human wellbeing, and environmentally-sound, ecologically-centred and socio-economically equitable SD in the country, towards the wellbeing of overall nature within the Planet Earth.

Keywords: Environmental Democracy, Public Participation (PP), Public Involvement Participation (PI), Community Involvement (CI), Major Natural Resources (MNRs) Extractive Industrial Operations (EIOs), Resource Curse, Sustainable Petroleum Resources Development Operations (SPRDOs), Sustainable Community Development (SCD), Good Environmental Governance (GEG) and Good Public Sector Governance (Good Governance [GG]).

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/94-07

Publication date: February 29^th 2020