Assessing How Environmental Pollution Affects Economic Activities in Nigeria: Experience from Fishing and Farming in Rivers State

The environment is crucial for sustaining life on earth; it provides essential resources like clean air, water and food. It also regulates climate and supports biodiversity which is why protecting the environment is essential for human well-being and mitigating the impact of climate change. The study focused on the impact of environmental pollution on economic activities; the uniqueness of the work is the emphasis on water and land pollution. The economic activities considered were fishing and farming in three local government areas of Rivers state as the area of study. This study adopted the survey research design. Data was gathered from 233 respondents of both genders made up of artisans, farmers, traders and civil servants in three local government areas, namely Khana, Gokhana and Eleme all in rivers state of Nigeria. These local government areas belong to the Ogoni stock who have suffered numerous oil spills from oil prospecting firms. The questionnaire was employed for data collection and the mean and rank order statistics were used for the analysis. The results show a decline in economic activities, particularly in farming and fishing. It was recommended that the government should implement and enforce strict environmental regulations on industries operating in the areas to reduce pollution levels.