A legislative delegation made up of three lawmakers from the Honorable House of Representatives is attending the Climate Parliament Forum in Luxor, Egypt, this week
The delegation, comprised of Hon. Johnson Gwaikolo, Hon. Vincent Willie, and Hon. Rosana GDH Schaack, is participating in the climate change parliament forum as they make the case for climate change in Liberia.
The House’s committee chair on Mines, Energy, and Natural Resources, Hon. Vincent Willie, made a PowerPoint presentation on the impact of climate change in Liberia on Friday, November 4.
Hon. Willie stated in his presentation that climate change has affected nearly every sector of Liberian society. From the fluctuation of the country’s farming season to erotic weather patterns that are causing substantial harm to farming and crop yield,
He stated that disastrous coastal evolution resulting from global warming and sea-level rise continue to make way for the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean in places like Buchanan and Grand Bassa County, wiping away coastal settlements like Atlantic Street and old and new Fanti towns.
The Liberian lawmaker said the country’s capital city, Monrovia, has suffered the impact of folding, which at times has resulted in lives, properties, and the imposition of untold suffering on families.
He says the impacts of climate change and global warming in Liberia are due to the acute lack of climate knowledge across the country, giving an example of the Mesurado wetland and its mangrove ecosystem, which he mentioned are in significant danger due to the daily cutting down of mangrove trees and the construction of makeshift homes.
He also stressed deforestation as another major impact of climate change.
Hon. Willie averred that data shows that half of the population in Liberia lives within 2.5 kilometers of forest. Each day, these households spend over three hours collecting forest products for subsistence and sale, earning 35% of their income.
He concluded by saying forests and trees that store carbon are degraded or completely cleared daily, aiding the potential of releasing back into the atmosphere carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change.
The House’s Mines and Energy and Natural Resources Chairman further mentioned that currently there is an imperative need to increase climate education and take concrete actions that will promote Liberia’s biodiversity and protect its rich natural environment from the impacts of climate change and global warming.
The Luxor Forum, co-sponsored on the eve of COP27 by the Climate Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, and the UN Industrial Development Organization, will create a dialogue between elected lawmakers, donor agencies, and the private sector. It will address the central question: How can we finance and build a new clean energy system for everyone on earth fast enough to avoid a climate breakdown?
The forum runs from November 4–6, while the Liberian legislative delegation head, Hon. Johnson N. Gwaikolo, is expected to remain and join other world leaders to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Egypt.
The UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh is set to intensify the scale and effectiveness of innovation in tackling climate change and help deliver on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
