The Guardian reported today on a leaked copy of the now officially released UNEP study into oil spills in Ogoniland. The report confirms the horrendous extent of environmental devastation caused by decades of Shell oil spills in the region. Key findings include:
Most of the oil spill sites that the companies claim to have cleaned up are still highly contaminated;
Oil companies have dumped contaminated soil in unlined pits;
Bodies of water are coated with hydrocarbons more than 1,000 times the level allowed by Nigerian drinking water standards;
Shell and other companies have not met minimum Nigerian requirements or their own standards.
For more details on the report – you can find The Guardian article here.