Climate change incorporation in environmental assessment is a growing research area, particularly following the Paris agreement. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is considered in many quarters to be an important tool in factoring climate-related components in the planning and design of a project. However, many recent researches have shown that EIA has, so far, struggled in the attempt to incorporate climate change into its procedures. This study is an attempt to evaluate the level of consideration of climate change in the EIA process in Nigeria, with particular focus on the Niger Delta region. The result of this quantitative research shows that there is a poor political will to address climate change, as reflected in the absence of climate change requirements in the EIA guidelines of Nigeria. Although, there is a growing trend in the pattern of consideration of climate change in the EIA procedures, the overall level of consideration is still a far cry from the requirements if EIA is to be considered to be an important tool in addressing challenges of climate change in Nigeria.

Background. Soil pollution by heavy metals in urban areas is of major concern to city planners and policy makers because of the potential threat to human health. Hence, an investigation of soil pol...

This study examined the spatial distribution and risk associated with the proliferation and indiscriminate establishment of petrol stations in Abeokuta metropolis, Nigeria. All effective parameters in petrol stations risks were identified and assessed using Williams–Fine and FMEA methods for petrol stations in the metropolis while structured questionnaire was administered on respondents near the petrol stations to elicit relevant information. Number of existing petrol stations, road networks and other spatial attributes served as input into the GIS environment with ArcGIS 10.0. Distances between road edge and petrol station, petrol station and residential buildings and between petrol stations were determined using preset criteria. The fire risk assessment revealed that 88 of the petrol stations had high risk (range: >201) while 20 and nine had medium (range: 201-101) and low (range: <100) risks respectively. Majority (113) of the 117 active petrol stations in Abeokuta have few or no functioning fire extinguishing systems, which make them vulnerable to fire incidences. Risk analysis indicated that distances between petrol stations and residential buildings in the metropolis does not comply with the 450 m distance standard. Majority were located within residential, commercial and educational land use areas where they constitute environmental risks including fire disasters, and soil and groundwater pollution.

Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) provides multiple benefits, but these are being greatly eroded by urbanization and declining connectivity, which threaten biodiversity in urban centres. This study therefore investigated the connectivity of green spaces in the Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria, using a combination of geospatial technology and landscape metrics. Landsat 5 TM, 7 ETM+, and 8 OLI-TIRS satellite imageries for 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 were used for land use/land cover change detection. Connectivity analysis was conducted with Fragstats metrics using seven indices: Number of Patches (NP), Mean Patch Area (AREA_MN), Mean Area Perimeter Ratio (PARA_MN), Mean Patch Contiguity Index (CONTIG_MN), Largest Patch Index (LPI), Percentage of Landscape (PLAND), and Area-Weighted Mean Patch Fractal Dimension (AWMPFD). The results showed that in 2000, the built-up area covered about 70.66 km² of the total land (51.97 %), whereas green areas covered about 51.17 km² (37.64 %). By 2020, the built-up area had increased from 51.97 % in 2000 to 69.04 %, to the detriment of other land uses, which decreased drastically over the years. Non-UGI areas accounted for 62.01 % of the total area in 2000 and increased consistently to 77.04 % by 2020. There was also a continual increase in the Number of Patches (NP) in green areas. The study established that UGI connectivity in Ibadan is inadequate, with CONTIG_MN declining from 0.41 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2020, while the Percentage of Landscape (PLAND) decreased from 10.62 in 2000 to 4.04 in 2020, indicating a high degree of fragmentation of green spaces. The findings therefore recommend halting the destruction of UGI in Ibadan to prevent further biodiversity loss and ecological decline in the city.