Fendall – The Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Randall Dobayou II, has alarmed that Liberia’s biodiversity parameter is under threat and the need for environmental sustainability is needed.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
Speaking at the launch of the Graduate School of Environmental Science and Climate Change on the University of Liberia’s Fendall Campus, Dobayou said the country’s biodiversity is globally acclaimed but human threats continue to subject Liberia’s tropical environment due to unfriendly act.
“Creeping industrial rubbish, deforestation of the tropical rainforest, hunting of irreplaceable species, pollution of coastal waters and rivers, dumping of household wastes and the disposal of bio-hazardous products inconsistent with the environmental Protection Management Law are few of the many unfriendly acts our environment is subjected to,” Dobayou said.
He said the government is making strive to combat these environmental hazards by firstly finalizing and launching the National Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy, which will provide clear direction on efforts to achieve adaption.
This endeavor, according to Dobayou, also includes a National Adaption Plan that will enable Liberia builds human and institutional capacity in seeking to address climate sensitive issues such as coastal erosion, agriculture, energy and forestry.
He said this is important because Liberia is highly vulnerable to coastal erosion and flood due to limited infrastructure, technology, services and knowledge capacity gaps.
Encouraging Liberian students to take advantage of the new program, Doyouba stated: “The importance of this program cannot be overemphasized given that the warming of the climate is unequivocal, knowing that the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased with corresponding warmer ocean and lose of oxygen.”
Dobayou furthered that it is time that government mainstreams environment and climate change in the national budget given the significance that the environment affects all sectors of the country.
“The crafters of our national budget should now see it necessary to mainstream climate action and environmental sustainability because the whole world is doubling efforts to green economy and resilient,” Dobayou added.
The EPA Deputy Executive Director has at the same time expressed Liberia’s commitment to end poverty and ensure low-carbon climate resilient development.
In his remarks, the National Adaption Plan Program Manager at UNDP, E. Abraham T. Tumbey, said the issue with climate change is of concern and stressed the need for Liberia to act now in mitigating threats to environmental safety.
Mr. Tumbey said the issue of sea rise and erosion remain challenging to areas along the coastal region of Liberia and had recently affected Mississippi Street in Sinoe County.
“We have a critical responsibility as people to make the climate safe for all of us. Along our coastal counties, we are faced with severe trouble, just last week I was told that Mississippi Street was being swept away by the ocean,” Representative Ivar Jones said.
Sometimes ago you heard about Buchanan, recently D. Tweh School and the Redemption Hospital were threatened by sea erosion, but government has intervened with the construction of a coastal defense system to prevent these areas from being swept away.
He said ongoing infrastructure development in Liberia must considered the issue of environmental safety, because the environment is coming under threat due to human activities.
“There should be mainstreaming in our budgeting processes that will consider environmental safety.
On the other hand, Margibi County District # 2 Representative Jones said Liberia’s environmental threat is due to the actions of its inhabitants.
Nevertheless, he said citizens can make use of the challenging situation by changing environmental hazard to opportunities.
“The ozone layer is depleting and climate change is real and not a myth by nonbelievers. Therefore, the need to reduce carbon emission is of concern,” Representative Jones noted.
He informed the international partners that Liberia is a part of the world and there is an urgent need to help reduce risk that climate change poses to its environment.
At the same time, giving an overview, the Focal Person of Environmental Studies at the University of Liberia, Dr. James McClain, termed the launch of the Environmental Program as essential at this time, when the reality of climate change is visible and of concerns.
He stated that the launch of the program was supported by the National Adaptation Plan at UNDP and targets SDG 13 on Climate Action as well as focuses on developing students in the graduate and undergraduate program in environmental studies and work with them in investigating environmental issues in Liberia.
“It will conduct research, provide consultation and technical research as well as create leaders in climate change. The school will be offering MSc Environmental Science, MSc Climate Change, MA Environmental Management and BSc in Environmental Studies.”
Accordingly, there is a plan to offer a Post Graduate Degree in Environmental Studies within the next five year.
Meanwhile, McClain maintained that the program is a multidiscipline program and is not a ‘one man thing,’ therefore he declared that students from different disciplines will be accepted to enroll at its graduate level.