Liberia: ActionAid Launches ‘Climate Change Justice’ Campaign

ActionAid-Liberia has launched a climate justice campaign for communities adversely affected by the growing impacts of climate change in Liberia.

The campaign, aimed at advocating for increased climate financing, comes at a critical time, as Liberia is classified as one of the most vulnerable countries globally to climate change. Nestled on the West African coast, Liberia has experienced a surge in climate-related challenges such as erratic rainfall and sea-level rise over the last few years, which have taken a toll on local communities, particularly those living in slums and coastal areas.

“We believe an end to poverty and injustice can be achieved through purposeful individual and collective action led by the active agency of people living in poverty,” Elizabeth Johnson, ActionAid Liberia Country Director, said at the launch of the campaign recently.

“ActionAid Liberia remains concerned about financial flows regarding climate change,” Johnson said. In this critical era of climate change, it is imperative that public funds are mobilized and directed towards renewable energy and agro-ecology to facilitate equitable transitions.

The campaign by ActionAid is rooted in the belief that a fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of addressing climate change, while also considering historical and social inequalities, is needed to help a poor country like Liberia mitigate the impacts of climate change.

It aims to raise awareness about Liberia's vulnerability to climate change and mobilize support both locally and internationally to address this pressing issue while promoting sustainable and climate-resilient practices.

One striking statistic underscores the urgency of this campaign: Liberia currently receives less than 1 percent of the total climate finance flows to Africa, which amounts to approximately US$112 million annually. This alarming disparity between the climate finance received and the pressing needs of Liberia has been highlighted in a recent report by the African Development Bank.

According to the report, the climate finance gap for Liberia stands at a staggering US$51.3 million. To effectively address climate change mitigation and adaptation, the country would require US$400.6 million to achieve its mitigation targets and an additional US$89.9 million to meet its adaptation goals. 

For ActionAid, these grim statistics clearly show that if not changed, it would be practically impossible for Liberia to mitigate the devastating impacts of the climate crisis.

A 2021 World Bank report states that the impact of climate change in Liberia would exacerbate existing flood-related disaster risks and impact water availability. 

The 2021 report, which is the most updated report profiling Liberia's climate change risk, projected a rise in extreme weather events with higher frequency over the coming decades. It added that the impact of climate change in the country would lead to a rise in sea level, coastal flooding, and erosion.

According to the World Bank, about 0.8 square km of land has been lost in recent decades due to the impact of climate change. In the Greater Monrovia area alone, a predicted 16cm sea level rise by 2030 would affect 675,000 people and 9,500 hectares of land, the Bank noted.

Norwu Harris, the Program Coordinator for the Climate and Economic Justice Focal Point, said as the climate crisis intensifies, the culprits, namely fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, continue to expand unchecked.

As such, adequate financing, she said, remains a challenge, including the need for scaled-up funding to achieve universal energy access and the need for more funding for climate change.

“Mineral mining in Liberia has disrupted communities' livelihoods. Polluted rivers and streams, degraded land, created toxic deposits in open pits, and forced migrations and displacements,” Harris said.

According to her, these poorly regulated activities significantly contribute to the ongoing climate crisis in Liberia.

“We acknowledge the government's efforts, including investments in the Global Environmental Facility Fund to preserve Liberia's coastal natural capital and the ambitious nationally determined contribution plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but there is a pressing need for more substantial funding for agroecology and renewable energy.

“Banks should discontinue funding for deforestation and harmful industrial agriculture practices, establishing robust guidelines for exit strategies,” Harris noted. “The government is urged to enforce effective regulation of the banking, finance, fossil fuel, and industrial agriculture sectors, including the mandatory development of climate transition plans.”

According to her, the banks should put a halt to corporate financing for the expansion of fossil fuels and develop rapid exit strategies from oil and gas investments.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency lauded ActionAid Liberia for the initiative and noted that a collective effort is needed to address the issue of climate change in Liberia.