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ActionAid Liberia expresses deep concern over the escalating
global impact of climate change, which has resulted in the loss of countless lives, exacerbated
poverty, and imposed financial burdens on economies worldwide, with a particular impact on
the Global South. As the climate crisis intensifies, the culprits, namely fossil fuel and
industrial agriculture, continue to expand unchecked.
In Liberia, the extractive industries, including Mining and Forestry, are the primary drivers of environmental degradation, despite contributing more than 54% to the national GDP. The nation’s fertile lands are predominantly dominated by monoculture plantations like rubber, cocoa, and palm
production, undermining thousands of smallholder farmers and their sustainable agroecological
systems, which have the potential to both feed the nation and mitigate climate change. Moreover.
logging activities carried out by major companies have led to severe biodiversity loss and
deforestation.
In 2019/2020, the forest sector produced a staggering 87,996.7m³ of round logs, with financing
from five major companies, namely Mandra Forestry Liberia Ltd., Brilliant Maju Inc., Alpha
Logging & Wood Processing Ltd., L&S Resources Ltd., and West African Forestry Development
Inc., accounting for a substantial 63% of round log production in Liberia (source: Liberia LEITI
13th Report FY2019/20). 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. Major players like Bea Mountain, Arcelor Mittal, and MNG Gold
are investing millions in this sector, often with inadequate regulation.
These poorly regulated activities significantly contribute to the ongoing climate crisis in Liberia.
resulting in erratic rainfalls, flooding, coastal erosion, windstorms, epidemics, food insecurity, and
more.
While acknowledging 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, there is a pressing
need for more substantial funding for agroecology and renewable energy. These sustainable
systems are effective in promoting food security and reducing carbon emissions. Renewable
energy, in particular, has the potential to surpass global energy demand by 2050 and is already
more cost-e ffective than fossil fuels in most cases.
However, adequate financing remains a challenge, including the need for scaled-up funding to
achieve universal energy access. Trans forming the food system is also crucial to address the
climate crisis and global food and livelihood needs. Agroecology is increasingly recognized as a
viable alternative to industrialized agriculture, but this transformation requires governments and
funders to prioritize food sovereignty and shift away from extractive commodity-focused
approaches. It necessitates support in the form of gender-responsive training, market access.
subsidy reallocation, and investments in infrastructure, production, and processing facilities.
In this critical era of climate change, it is imperative that public funds are mobilized and directed
towards renewable energy and agroecology to facilitate equitable transitions. The continued
financing of planet-destructive activities by world banks and governments must cease.
Banks should put to a halt corporate financing for the expansion of fossil fuels and develop rapid exit strategies from oil and gas investments. ActionAid Liberia ActionA id is calling out this absurd
flow of money towards the climate crisis, and demanding with young people, women-led
organizations and allies for increased public funds for agroecology and renewable energy.
Additionally, banks should discontinue funding for deforestation and harmful industrial agriculture practices, establishing robust guidelines for exit strategies.
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.
Redirecting harmful subsidies and prioritizing just transitions towards real solutions such as
renewable energy and agroecology is of utmost importance.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
Elizabeth Gbah-Johnson, ActionAid Liberia, htps:/iberia.actionaid.org/about-actionaid-liberia
About ActionAid Liberia: ActionA id Liberia (AAL) is a human rights and social justice
organization operating in Liberia since 1997 to advance the rights of women, children, young
people, excluded and marginalized communities and shift the development paradigm
is people-centered, utilizing our human rights-based approach (HRBA) and an intersectional
feminist analysis across all programs, campaigns, policy, advocacy and partnerships. In taking sides with the most excluded, this has meant that AAL is often present in rural and physically hard to reach communities.
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