If Littering Is a Crime, Why Is Corporate Pollution Different?
There is always a penalty when individuals throw waste and litter the environment, especially in unauthorized places, when they block the drainage system with dirt, they will be charged a fine or even face a serious penalty, because it's considered a crime to litter the environment and this has really regulated how people litter and dump dirt unauthorized places, the fear of facing a consequence has made a majority of people learn to abide by the law, but same situation is treated differently when committed by large companies, it gets really complicated when a big oil producing company is involved and this is a pollution that can affect an entire community, their farm lands, water, road and even causes harm to their health and when the victims complain, the government never responds to them, this begins to make me think, if individuals can be held responsible for littering the environment, why are these companies not held responsible too ?
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I believe everyone should be held accountable for environmental damage, the way an ordinary individual is being held accountable should be the same way a company should be held responsible too. I have read books and watched movies about the pain this environmental pollution causes in most oil producing states in Nigeria, especially Bayelsa, and I see how poor citizens suffer from this pollution but when they protest and agitate against this pollution that affects their health, sources of livelihood, and water they are being harmed and ignored by the government, an ordinary citizen will face the law for committing same crime that will not even harm as much as oil spillage on water.
An ordinary individual who throws a plastic rubber on the ground doesn't even cause as much harm as a company , their industrial waste can cause so much harm to people and the environment, it causes greater damage. It affects the lives of aquatic animals, agriculture, businesses, the health of the people and the air they breathe.
They cause this kind of harm and don't even face any punishment for this harm and that's totally unfair to the ordinary individuals out there. Their operations aren't even suspended, and they aren't even given a substantial fine to pay and compensate for those pollution affects or even a compulsory clean up obligation on the environment they pollute, this is clearly unfair.
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I believe there's a law and if an ordinary man can face that law, why will a company be excused or exempted from facing the law too?
Companies repeatedly cause environmental pollution and damage and don't even face the consequences for that action and things like this make me question the fairness of our system , they are clearly protected because of the economic power they possess, no form of accountability.
Regardless of the contribution these companies add to the society, like creating employment, payment of their taxes and the value they add to the country's economy, they don't have the right to ignore environmental regulations , the government has the responsibility to make sure they also keep the environmental regulations , they should also be investigated and penalized just the way an ordinary individual is being penalized and investigated too, companies should invest in proper waste management, to avoid causing severe harm.
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In conclusion, I believe protecting our environment is a shared responsibility, it's not just a responsibility for individuals, but companies too. Companies should also be held accountable when they pollution the environment and face the penalty and punishment for such crimes.
I believe the principle should be simple and equal, whoever causes environmental harm and pollutes the environment should be held accountable, and face the consequences of their crimes, environmental protection should apply to the individual and the company too.
Pollution has caused a lot of damage to our environment