ENERGY CRISIS AND ITS EFFECTS ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Studies before now have linked various environmental challenges to human activities. The human activities do not exclude efforts put forth by humans in the search for, production and utilization of various forms of energy resources. The value attached to a particular energy resource determines its rate of demand which determines its rate of production and consumption. The consumption of any form of energy resource commonly in use determines its cost which determines its rate of availability to its end-users. The cost of energy resources on which the availability depends defines the phenomenon of energy crisis. This paper x-rays the dynamics of energy crisis and reveals its effects on Nigeria’s national development. It establishes that environmental education is a veritable tool for tackling the phenomenon of energy crisis in Nigeria. The paper recommends that environmental education shall be designed to educate and re-orientate its audiences on the implications of their activities on the environment and as well encourage and motivate them to participate actively in activities directed toward the protection, improvement, management, restoration and conservation of the Nigerian environment.