By Jerromie S. Walters
ActionAid Liberia (AAL), a human rights and social Justice Organization operating in Liberia has expressed deep concern over what it sees as the escalating global impact of climate change, which has resulted in the loss of countless lives, exacerbated poverty, and imposed financial burdens on economic worldwide, with a particular impact on the countries in the World South.
During its National Climate Justice campaign launch Thursday, September 28, 2023, the NGO through a press statement emphasized that 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.
ActionAid believes that 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-effective than fossil fuels in most cases.
“However, adequate financing remains a challenge, including the need for scaled-up funding to achieve universal energy access. Transforming the food system is also crucial to address the climate crisis and global food and livelihood needs.”
ActionAid says Agroecology is increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to industrialized agriculture, but this transformation requires governments and Tenders to prioritize food sovereignty and shift away from extractive commodity-focused approaches, It necessitates support in the form of gender-responsive training.
“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. Action Aid Liberia.”
With this, ActionAid 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.” “We believe an end to poverty and injustice can be achieved through purposeful individuals and collective actions led by active agency of people living in poverty and supported by solidarity, credible right-based alternatives and campaigns that address the structural causes and consequences of poverty.”
Additionally, the local NGO recommends, “banks should discontinue funding for deforestation and harmful industrialagriculture practices, establishing robust guidelines for exit strategies.”
“The government is urged to enforce selective regulation of the banking, finance, fossil fuel, and industrial agriculture sectors, including the mandatory development of climate transition plans.”
They continued, “Redirecting harmful subsidies and prioritizing Just transitions towards real solutions such as renewable energy and agroecology is of utmost importance.”
Moreover, ActionAid says as the climate crisis intensifies, the culprits, namely fossil fuel 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.”
It says In 2019/2020, the forest sector produced a staggering 87,996.7 m3 of round logs, with financing from five major companies, namely Mandra Forestry Liberia Ltd., Brilliant Majulnc., 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.”
Also, it was made known that “major players like Bea Mountain, Arcelor Mital, 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.”
Earlier at the occasion, the European Union (EU) delegate articulated, “Climate is going to bring more people into poverty.” She described the campaign as the start of a long quest and a timely one.
However, she believes the government and its citizens have a lot to do in committing themselves to climate Justice, as the country is highly at risk in terms of climate change.
ActionAid Liberia (AAL) is a human rights and social Justice Organization operating in Liberia since 1997 to advance the rights of women, children. young organization operating in Liberia since 1997 to advance communities and shift the development paradigm to one that people, excluded and marginalized communities and shit rights-based approach (HRBA) and an intersectional is people-centered, utilizing our human rights-based an campaigns, policy, advocacy and partnerships.
