Monrovia, Liberia – The Environmental Protection Agency with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada through NovaSphere on Thursday 22 August 2024 ended a two-day climate action forum in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The forum seeked to generate ideas for more developed and robust institutional frameworks and multi-level climate governance in Liberia.
A number of prominent figures from government line ministries, including superintendents and county development officers from Liberia’s fifteen counties, executives from the Environmental Protection Agency, and national and international specialists on climate change make up the attendees.
In order for Liberia to fulfill its share of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to combat climate change, the forum also aimed to create more effective and efficient Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems. Additionally, it aimed to mobilize investments and expedite key mitigation initiatives.
Speaking at the forum, Bong County Superintendent Loleyah Hawa Norris said that local livelihood activities should be taken into account while taking action on climate change since it is a hard reality that calls for a holistic approach.
Superintendent Norris pointed out that in order to curb activities like illicit mining and deforestation and lower the danger of climate change at the county level, local authorities require cooperation from law enforcement and political support from the top.
The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA), Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, addressed the forum and urged local leaders to include climate action in their county development goals. Dr. Yarkpawolo stated that stakeholders from all sectors must work together to address the rapidly worsening effects of climate change on Liberia.
While acknowledging the assistance of foreign partners, the EPA Chief maintained that more work needs to be done to secure stronger climate governance and mobilize climate finance. Liberia is a signatory to several international climate accords, including the Paris Climate Change Agreement, even though the nation’s laws do not specifically address climate change.
Dr. Yarkpawolo alarmed that there are illegal mining activities ongoing in the counties that require the collaborative support of concerned line ministries and law enforcement bodies. He pointed out that miners in most remote counties are using chemicals such as mercury and dredges to mine gold, destroying water bodies and leaving behind huge pits in the process.
The forum is part of activities under the West Africa MRV Climate Action Implementation and Governance in Liberia, Togo, Ghana, and the Gambia.
The discussants pointed out that for the first time, Liberia has done comprehensive analyses of Liberia’s climatic conditions at the county level in all 15 political sub-divisions of the country. Another key objective of the meeting was to validate the 15 climate change county baseline reports, done by national consultants, and to incorporate feedback from local leaders and other stakeholders into the reports.
The reports, unique to each of the 15 counties, shed lights on the climatic situations in the counties, analyzing the demographic and socioeconomic trends, geography and topography of each county and the impact of climate change from first-hand local perspectives.
The baseline analysis reports also highlight vulnerabilities to the impact of climate change at the county level and outline intervention areas. The reports further point out how climate change affects various sectors of the Liberian economy at the county level.
Reported by: Prince Saah
Contact: +231778239813
Email: saahprince119@gmail.com
