National Policy and Response Strategy on Climate Change (2018).

This National Policy and response Strategy on climate change sets the basic analysis, mitigation and prevention issues and principles as regards the adverse climate change impact and consequences on the territory of the Republic of Liberia (West African coast). In Liberia, because of low level of adaptive capacity in different sectors, emanated from low level of human and institutional capacity, technology, infrastructure, economy, etc., the impact exerted by climate change is severe. The impacted sectors identified as priority sectors through stakeholders consultation and document review are: economic sectors such as forestry and wildlife, agriculture, coastal area, water, fishery, energy, mining, industry, transport and tourism, infrastructure, urbanization; and social sectors including health and settlement. The Policy and Response Strategy has recognized these sectors as priority sectors for adaptation. The policy statements for adaptation to climate change are hereunder in the summary, while their corresponding strategy elements can be referred in section 8.1 in the main body of the policy and strategy document. The Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy seeks: to strengthen coordination for the implementation of the national policy between the government and all stakeholders; to create an overarching framework for the integration of climate considerations and to support the implementation of Liberia s national development strategy as well as other regional and international policies and frameworks; to enhance pro-poor and gender sensitive adaptation while also promoting mitigation at the national and local levels, to the extent possible in a cost-effective manner amidst the challenges and constraints posed by climate change; to provide guidance to the efforts of government in ensuring that the country achieves benefits from clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency and mitigation technologies that enhances the livelihoods of the people and promotes the national economy, while contributing to the global efforts to reduce GHG emissions and global warming; to ensure that development at the national and local levels are environmentally sustainable; to promote awareness on climate change and its impact on the country and to enhance the skill and institutional capacity of relevant stakeholders; and to promote the conservation of the nation s rich biodiversity and natural resources so that they benefit the present and future generations.
The impacts of climate change are even more evident and pervasive with increased occurrences of flooding across the country, changes in climatic conditions, as well as low agricultural yields in Liberia and other parts of the world. Undeniably, climate change is a major environmental threat facing the social and economic development of Less Developed Countries like ours being more vulnerable to the impacts due to their low capacity to adapt to the impact of Climate Change. The impact of Climate Change in Liberia does not only undermine development gains but also poses serious risk to food security and adaptive capacity and therefore needs urgent and concerted national efforts. The National Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy is a framework which will establish specific provisions for dealing with climate change issues, understanding the extent of the threat and putting in place specific actions to mitigate potential impacts. The impacts of climate change in Liberia require the widest cooperation and participation in an effective and appropriate national response comprising mitigation and adaptation measures that are efficient, concrete and targeted. Cognizant of the impacts of climate change and the dire need for adequate national response, the Government of Liberia through the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) has developed a National Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy to guide national response measures in addressing menace. The strategy further provides guidance on integrating climate change issues into national development planning processes at national, county, district and local levels for effective coordination. The Government's commitment to develop a climate-resilient economy has also been demonstrated by many strategic short and medium term actions including implementation of key activities under our National Adaption Action Plan (NAPA), the establishment of the National Climate Change Secretariat, development of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) funded Monrovia Metropolitan Climate Resilient Project, etc. Liberia s vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change makes adaptation a national priority issue, demanding policy direction at the highest level, with full commitment attached. The country s mitigation potential due to the presence of the largest portion of the Upper Guinea Forest, must be harnessed to ensure that it participates in the global efforts for continuous reduction in emissions. Therefore, the National Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy articulates the government visions and aspirations for establishing a framework through which concrete actions are directed towards addressing climate change issues across the country. It also sets a bold mandate and strategy for the government engagement with local and international stakeholders and partners.
List of contents of this text: rationale for the national climate change policy and strategy; methodology and approaches; national circumstances; background; geographic description; natural resources; population dynamics and settlement; economy; education; climate trends and projection; temperature; rainfall; climate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities; forestry and wildlife; agriculture; coastal area; water resources; fishery; energy; mining; industry; transport; tourism; infrastructure; urbanization and settlement; health; response measures being undertaken; strategic focus; vision; mission; objectives; interventions; adaptation; forestry and wildlife; water resources; fishery; mitigation; forestry and wildlife; waste management; cross-cutting themes; communication, education and awareness; capacity development and training; research and development; technology transfer; gender,malnutrition, HIV and aids; integrated planning and data management; action plan and resource mobilization; action plan and cost; international climate funds; bilateral and multilateral sources; monitoring and evaluation; monitoring framework; evaluation framework references.
Forestry and Wildlife Policy Statement: Using the 3C approach as the basis for sustainable forest management, ensures that forests and wildlife be considered when planning adaptation policies and practices in areas of the economy beyond forestry and wildlife, and define and implement measures for reducing the negative impact of climate change on the forest and wildlife. Agriculture Policy Statement: Reduce the vulnerability of agricultural systems to risks related to climate change through direct and indirect support to farmers, including the setting up of a robust monitoring system to detect early changes that will affect agriculture production. Coastal Areas Policy Statement: Ensure the protection of Liberia s 350 miles coastline. Water Resources Policy Statement: Ensure the continuous availability of critical water resources that are important for domestic, agricultural, energy, and recreational purposes. Fishery Policy statement: Recognizing the importance of fishery as a major contributor to food supply, food security and livelihoods, adopt policies that maintain and protect the integrity of Liberia s fishery sector. Energy Policy Statement: moving Liberia s economy and social sectors forward on the basis of universal access to affordable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly modern energy services. Mining Policy Statement: Ensure that climate change adaptation principles are integrated in the mining sector so that climate stressor scenarios on mining as well as its exacerbation effect on climate change will be minimized. In doing so sustainable mining which contributes to the sustainable development of the country will be promoted. Industry Policy Statement: Incorporate climate change considerations in industrial sector planning so that the manufacturing industries sector will be resilient to climate chocks emanated from energy, resources, and infrastructure needs as well as physical damage. Transport Policy Statement: Ensure the development of efficient, effective and affordable transportation system that is resilient to the possible shocks of climate change and which contributes to the sustainable development of the country. Tourism Policy Statement: Develop and implement culture and tourism development programs that are resilient and responsive to the challenges of climate change. Infrastructure Policy Statement: Ensure that our infrastructure is climate-proof . Urbanization and Settlement Policy Statement: Develop a comprehensive land-use plan to achieve sustainability in urbanization and settlement developments in order to adapt to climate change.