1.1 Introduction
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of natural resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. It is any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Environmental degradation is one of the Ten Threats officially cautioned by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations. The primary cause of environmental degradation is human disturbance. The degree of the environmental impact varies with the cause, the habitat, and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Humans and their activities are a major source of environmental degradation. Worldwide the greatest effects on the health of individuals and populations result from environmental degradation and social injustice.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Environmental degradation has become important global issues since the 1970s, when the world countries and international community became aware of the negative consequences of over-exploitation of the human environment. Environmental degradation in most rural areas in Nigeria has increased over the years and both human activities and natural disasters have contributed to this problem (Titiola 1998; Girigiri 2000). The environment affects our health in a variety of ways. The interaction between human health and the environment has been extensively studied and environmental risks have been proven to significantly impact human health, either directly by exposing people to harmful agents, or indirectly, by disrupting life-sustaining ecosystems (Remoundou and Koundouri, 2009).
Globally, issues around environmental degradation have taken the centre stage in qualitative and quantitative studies attributable to the recent challenge of climate change. Air, water pollution and global warming are mostly traced to unpredictable activities of man at various economic development stages, such as, the pre-industrial, industrial and services-driven stages (Ejuvbekpokpo, 2014). It is a commonplace to attribute environmental degradation to fossil fuel or carbon emission, otherwise known as CO2. Sanglimsuwan (2011) viewed carbon emissions as organic matters that stem from fossil fuel and manufacturing activities' combustion. Half of the world's fossil fuel escape into the atmosphere, thereby responsible for the increase in global temperature, while the natural land and ocean carbon reservoirs had absorbed the other half (Putman et al., 2016). According to Garber (2011), the take-off stage of a country towards development into a more industrialized economy contributes significantly to environmental degradation. In essence, the greater the consumption of natural resources using outdated and energy-intensive technologies, the higher the rate of environmental pollution.
Therefore, in Ondo State where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Contribution of Road Infrastructure to Environment Degradation.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Environmental degradation is the gradual depletion of the environment that is capable of damaging a whole lot of things including animals and farmland and farm produce. The problem of environmental degradation on agricultural productivity could be that the knowledge or idea on how to go about the control of this natural disaster that tends to destroy agricultural produce. Finally, several researches have been carried out on the environmental degradation but not even a single research has been carried out on the effect of environmental degradation on agricultural productivity in Nigeria.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to determine the Contribution of Road Infrastructure to Environment Degradation using Ondo State as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the factors affecting Road Infrastructural development towards Environment Degradation in Ondo State
- To assess the impact of Road Infrastructure towards Environment Degradation in Ondo State
- To find out the relationship between road infrastructure and Environment Degradation in Ondo State
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Is there any significant relationship between road infrastructure and Environment Degradation in Ondo State?
- What are the factors affecting Road Infrastructural development towards Environment Degradation in Ondo State?
- What is the impact of Road Infrastructure towards Environment Degradation in Ondo State?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
- H0: There is no significant relationship between road infrastructure and Environment Degradation in Ondo State
- H1: There is a significant relationship between road infrastructure and Environment Degradation in Ondo State
1.7 Significance of Study
Good road infrastructure services helps the poor contribute to environments sustainability. Clean water and sanitation, non-polluting sources of power, safe disposal of solid waste, and better management of traffic in urban areas provide environmental benefits for all income groups. The urban poor often benefit most directly from good road infrastructure services which mitigates standard of living conditions characteristic of concentrated settlements such as unsanitary conditions, hazardous emissions, and accident risks.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Contribution of Road Infrastructure to Environment Degradation using Ondo State as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
