Presidency

H. E. Joseph N. Boakai, Sr.

President of Liberia

H. E. Zegben J. K. Koung

Vice President of Liberia

EPA Intensifies Climate Change Awareness

Participants post for photo

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has intensified climate change awareness in Liberia.

As part of its awareness exercises, the EPA last weekend held a one-day national capacity building training workshop on ‘Understanding Climate Change’ in Liberia.

Organized under the auspices of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the one-day event attracted instructors from various high schools, stakeholders and representatives of environmental non-governmental organizations.

Benjamin S. Karmorh, National Focal Point on UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said the training was part of a series of workshops intended to educate Liberians about climate change and its impact in Liberia.

Hon. Karmorh explained that the training was necessary because Liberia is experiencing climate induced disaster.

He disclosed that one of these climate induced disasters is the torrential rainfall being experienced annually, which causes flooding across Monrovia and other parts of the country.

According to him, the training which was organized in collaboration with UN Environment was intended to educate Liberians on what to do to address climate change impact, including flood caused by heavy rain.

Hon. Karmorh indicated that EPA and its partners have being working over the years to develop a national adaptation plan (NAP) that was able to captured coastal erosion.

He noted that EPA was at the forefront in accessing the global environment facility money through the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Fund to ensure that West Point, New Kru Town and other places are protected from erosion.

Speaking further, Hon. Karmorh noted that Liberia was accepted as a member of the Nationally Determined Contributions Partnership at the recent Climate Change Conference in Poland.

“And that partnership has to do with working together to strengthen Liberia’s plan of action, as it relate to the nationally determined contributions,” he added.

Hon. Karmorh also indicated that Liberia is expected to benefit from technical and financial support in drawing up the country’s role map, as it relate to the nationally determine contribution.

Prior to the conference in Poland, a Liberian preparatory committee for Liberian delegates was set-up, Hon. Karmorh said.

Also speaking at the start of the training, Assistant Minister for Mineral Exploration and Environment at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Rexford C. Sartuh explained that impact of climate change can be seen all across Liberia.

The Assistant Mines and Energy Minister disclosed that Liberia has already loss a good portion of its coastal land to sea erosion.

He disclosed that severe storm surges have also immerged leading to flooding.

Assistant Minister Sartuh is grateful that Liberia has completed its climate change policy and report strategy.

 The policy, according to him provides a framework for addressing climate change at the national level taken into consideration mitigation and adaption strategy with a time frame of short, medium and long term.