Civil Society wants framework on Climate Change 

By Emmanuel wise Jipoh 

The Chairperson of the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL), Loretta Pope-Kai wants President Joseph Nyumah Boakai to develop a framework for tackling climate change because according to her, Liberia is not ready to have a national carbon market.

Madam Pope-Kai said the idea of pushing for a carbon market right now could be a threat in the absence of a legal framework to safeguard Liberia and protect its climate.

She said the government should identify its context as one of the least developed countries in the world that are mostly affected by Climate Change.

She said should government focus its attention on pushing for Climate-Just-funding that will enhance not just the financial aspect of Climate Change Adaptations and mitigations, but will ensure equitable distribution.

”As we get engaged into this discussion of Climate Change initiatives, involving the carbon market, push for just-transition, we must push for climate-just-funding,  climate justice, which are processes to ensure we have fairness, equitable distributions around Climate Change.

 Liberia is not ready for Carbon Market, and we are seeing a whole lot of discussions, on Carbon – setting-up, Carbon Market; how do we go into a market, when we don’t have a legal framework”,  she wondered.

She said a framework is needed to clearly identify problems affecting issues of Climate Change here and how to mitigate those challenges while reiterating that the country needs to understand its contexts relative to solving Climate Change that is mostly affecting women, who are primary users of the forest and land by engaging in agriculture and farming.

“So if you don’t have the clear roadmap, the clear path, to ensure what you are calling for as a country it, wouldn’t work, so as a country, our focus should be on establishing a framework that will enhance our understanding as to what we are opting for.”

She notes that carbon trading is an important tool in global Climate Change mitigation, an effort that incentivizes reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

She pledges the National Civil Society Council of Liberia’s full support towards Climate Change while noting that the (NCSCL) will push more for coordination and information-sharing to address the devastating scourge.

At the same time, she wants women in Liberia to be given land title rights since they are primary users of land and are currently engaged in discussions on Land Sales and Legitimacy in accordance with the 2018 Land Rights Act.

”As we go through the formalization processes, We must also ensure that test of powers given deeds to women, especially those rural women, as they’re primary users of Land. We have to also ensure they’ve title rights to Land, land is life, land is power and land is a form of security, so we must ensure that these women are protected”, Madam Kai underscored.

The NCSCL spoke to reporters on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at the Ministerial Complex in Congo Town at the start of a two-day Land Rights for Sustainable Development and Inclusive Climate Action Conference organized by LANDESA, a KP Project.

 The conference seeks to address the urgent need for climate action within the land rights framework, aiming to create a sustainable and inclusive approach to land formalization, as Liberia grapples with the impacts of climate change with focus on a more resilient way to address issues of climate-smart land tenure system. Editing by Jonathan Browne