Abstract
This paper seeks to examine the origin of soot, causes, impacts and pragmatic solutions for addressing the problem posed by soot beyond our past reactionary and knell jerk approaches. The presence of soot in the atmosphere pollute the air beyond acceptable limits. The World Health Organization (WHO), has restated that air pollution constitutes the largest among all of the environmental risks. Research has shown that about 4.2 million deaths in 2016 that resulted from stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, lung cancer and heart disease annually were associated with outdoor air pollution exposure WHO further stated that 2.6 billion of the world’s population who cook and heat their homes with biomass, kerosene fuels and coal are exposed to indoor air pollution. About 91% of world population live in places where air quality levels exceed WHO’s limits including Nigeria and Rivers State. Poor ambient air quality has more negative impacts in middle income and developing countries such as Nigeria and this is due to poor coping mechanism. Studies have equally shown that the ambient air quality around Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital due to soot is below WHO’s tolerable levels and this is a precursor to deaths associated with respiratory and pulmonary diseases in Rivers State. There are also abundant findings to the effect that ambient air quality around Port Harcourt is 11times higher than the WHO tolerable levels. This is not only genocidal but posed significant reasons why conversation around this the subject -matter, should more pragmatic, poignant shifting away from the business as usual approach to more pragmatic solutions. So many factors and persons have been pointed as causative factors responsible for this brazen despoliation of human and his environment, yet bringing such persons to book and to account has remained elusive and mere rhetoric. This paper, through a historical broad- spectrum, socio-political and doctrinal legal methodology, examines evaluate the causes, impacts and solutions to this problem. The paper found that the challenge is hydra headed, and requires many prongs legal dynamic, stating that a suite of legal frameworks combined, promises an optimal result than one single approach. The paper made recommendations and concluded on the need to reinforce government-citizens’ social contract, liberalized ownership of petroleum resources and drawing from some best-established jurisdictions through class.