Liberia: EPA, Stakeholders Aim to Push for Climate Change Legislation
Congo Town– The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with funding from a Canada government through an organization NovaSphere organized a three-day Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) climate action forum which seeks for the establishment of comprehensive climate change legislation that aims to instate a framework that would address critical areas such as environmental preservation, emissions reduction, and the development of community-level strategies for climate adaptation.
By Jaheim T. Tumu- jaheim.tumu@frontpageafricaonline.com
MRV climate action forum brought array of state actor, environmentalists, climate change activists including stakeholders from Liberia, Gambia, Ghana and Togo, as well as donors.
The MRV for Climate Action Bilateral Program is intended to strengthen national development priorities and capacities to plan, finance and achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions and implement low-carbon solutions for local development challenges in these four West African countries.
Accordingly, the legislation, if passed, would outline how the sales of carbon credits and funds generated are distributed amongst forest owners. However, the law aims to enhance a robust framework and policies on climate governance, and how Liberia can utilize natural resources, including forests and mangroves and to access climate finance.
Addressing the opening session, the EPA Executive Director, DR. Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo disclosed that the government is developing a carbon policy framework for Liberians who have standing forest can stand the possibility of benefitting from there forest.
Dr. Yarkpawolo emphasized that the framework, which will later evolve into part of Liberia’s climate law, aims to ensure sustainable practices in forest preservation and incentivize carbon trading.
Said Yarkpawolo, “We are leading that effort in term of developing carbon market framework and policy, eventually it will lead into law which part of it will be part of the climate law. So, we are asking those who in favor carbon trading to give the government 12 to 24 months. That period will give us chance to come up with the policy framework and the laws because the laws have to govern the activities of people in that space.”
The EPA Executive Director highlighted the ongoing work of Novasphere, in supporting Liberia’s climate research and development efforts. The institution’s research has been foundational in understanding the climate challenges facing Liberia, especially in rural counties.
Accordingly, he said Novasphere has played crucial in establishing baseline studies that illustrate how climate change affects different counties— “Coastal areas suffer from erosion, while interior parts face erratic rainfall and reduced agricultural productivity,” he said.
Yarkpawolo emphasized that adapting climate-smart agriculture and implementing protective measures for coastal cities are key steps for Liberia’s resilience to climate change. He also noted the importance of leveraging these baselines to better equip the government for effective climate-related planning.
Furthermore, EPA Boss addressed Liberia’s engagement in the carbon market. He explained that preserving Liberia’s forests has significant environmental benefits, potentially making the country eligible for financial rewards under a carbon market framework.
“We need to get this so that we will be able to adapt climate-smart-agriculture. So, we can be able to put in term of nature barriers, how do we defend our coast cities. The kind of information give the government the ability to plan properly, he stated.
Providing the objective, MRV for Climate Action co-director, Scott Muller said forum intends to increase the pace and quantity of financial resources invested in this program. He urged participants to work efficiently with national authorities in order to address issue of post-program sustainability.
He said the program focuses on promoting post-2026 program sustainability and aimed to enhance climate action awareness among Liberian stakeholders.
“How this activity continues after 2026. We are going to look at cultivating awareness process transporting plot in other nations and discussing the expectation on financial reporting. For us, we see these programs as things worth doing, things that have a lot of momentum or lot of enthusiasm, a lot of passion behind them,” he said.
Giving the insight into the program, Secretary of the program in Liberia, Isaac Teah, applauded Novasphere for supporting Liberia in various climate projects.
Teah disclosed that Liberia currently has six pilot project which include Multi-level Cimate Governance, High-level Inter-ministerial Coordination and the National Climate Change Steering committee, MRV for University Curriculum Development, Mangrove and Forest Monitoring system, Waste Pilot, and the National University Lab.
He added that a key goal for Liberia’s climate action is to pass comprehensive climate legislation. He emphasized the importance of high-level engagement with policymakers, aiming to bring a climate bill to the Legislature for consideration.
The three-day gathering aimed towards elevating climate action awareness, showcasing processes and partnerships. It also promotes ownership and accelerate discussions around Liberia’s climate law.
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