Yarkpawolo Outlines Climate Response Details Adaptation, Mitigation Projects

MONROVIA – Liberia’s climate fight is being explained to the public in plain terms, and that alone is progress. Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo heads the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He has set out the two pillars of the response: adaptation and mitigation. His examples are concrete. They include a faster-maturing rice variety, mangrove restoration in Sinoe and coastal defenses at West Point. Yet the rice has not reached farmers, and the scale of need exceeds the money available. The carbon market policy could pay communities to keep forests standing, but only if the credits are credible. Much depends on donors honoring Paris commitments. Citizens, he says, must also keep drains clear. THE ANALYST reports.

Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, has outlined steps the government and international partners are taking to protect Liberians from the effects of climate change and to reduce the activities causing it.

In a public education article dated October 18, 2026, Yarkpawolo said the agency’s previous article explaining climate change reached more than 80,000 people, and that the new piece builds on that conversation.

“Two important words describe our response: adaptation and mitigation,” Yarkpawolo stated. He explained that adaptation means adjusting to a changing climate to reduce harm, such as planting rice that matures earlier when rainfall becomes unreliable, protecting a coastline against erosion or improving a town’s drainage to reduce flooding.

Mitigation, the EPA boss noted, means reducing the gases that cause global warming or helping nature absorb more of them, through measures such as replacing diesel-generated electricity with solar power, conserving energy and protecting forests, since trees absorb carbon dioxide.

“Simply put, adaptation helps us cope with climate change, while mitigation helps reduce its causes. We need both,” he said.

Mangroves and Faster Rice

Yarkpawolo pointed out that some actions achieve both goals, noting that protecting mangroves helps store carbon while reducing coastal exposure to waves and erosion. That, he said, is why the EPA is carrying out mangrove restoration projects in Sinoe and other parts of Liberia.

In agriculture, he disclosed that the EPA has worked with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) through cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including the Atoms for Food initiative, to improve rice production.

According to Yarkpawolo, laboratory work has reduced the growing period from approximately 120 days to about 91 days, with the aim of helping rice production cope with reduced or irregular rainfall, so that rice may be harvested before seasonal rains end.

“This is a work in progress. This new variety of rice that withstands climate change has not reached farmers yet, but we will get there,” he acknowledged.

He also cited the Strengthening Agricultural Resilience through Transformational Livelihood Adaptation in Liberia (SARTLA) project, a US$10 million (L$1.82 billion) initiative implemented by the government through the EPA, working with the MOA, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other institutions, with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The project, Yarkpawolo explained, supports farming and livelihoods that can better withstand climate pressures through ecosystem restoration, stronger agricultural advisory services and improved livelihood opportunities. “This is adaptation translated into practical support for communities,” he said.

Coastal Protection Investments

Along the coast, the EPA boss said, the Monrovia Metropolitan Climate Resilience Project, including work to protect West Point, brings together financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), UNDP and the Government of Liberia.

In Sinoe County, he added, the EPA and UNDP are implementing coastal resilience work with GEF support, combining coastal protection with livelihood support and better planning to show how international climate finance and national action can work together.

On mitigation, Yarkpawolo noted that the government has approved a National Carbon Market Policy which, if effectively implemented, can make keeping forests standing an economic opportunity for Liberia and forest communities.

He explained that verified reductions in emissions, or removals of carbon from the atmosphere, can generate carbon credits, and that revenue from credible projects can support conservation and community development.

Climate Finance Gap

Yarkpawolo said the examples show that the international community is contributing finance, knowledge and technology, with the IAEA supporting agricultural research and partners such as UNDP, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Conservation International and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) helping the government implement projects.

 “Nevertheless, the scale of need remains greater than the support available,” he cautioned.

He insisted that developed countries must fulfill their climate finance commitments while major emitters reduce the pollution driving global warming, noting that under the Paris Agreement, developed countries have obligations to support developing countries with both adaptation and mitigation. Liberia, he said, needs accessible finance, technology and training to expand practical solutions.

Citizens’ Role

The EPA boss urged citizens to play their part by keeping garbage out of drains and waterways to reduce flooding, and by keeping mangroves and other forests standing to absorb carbon and attract climate finance.

He also encouraged Liberians to conserve electricity and fuel, reduce food waste and use cleaner cooking options where affordable, and called on community leaders, schools, religious institutions and businesses to spread accurate information and protect shared infrastructure.

“The work has begun, but much remains to be done. Every successful project, protected forest and prepared community strengthens our response,” Yarkpawolo stated. “Together, we can protect Liberians and livelihoods while contributing to a safer climate for future generations.”