By: Varney Dukuly
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT: Liberia’s President George Manneh Weah has blasted the imbalance that exists between high and low emitters in the climate change architecture. He added that financial flow is disproportionate.
President Weah who is heading the Liberian delegation at Climate Change Conference, styled: COP27 in the Egyptian City of Sharm el-Sheikh told the gathering that “We are also saddened to note that in-equity and imbalance still remain between high and low emitters in the climate change architecture, and that the financial flows within still remain disproportionate and unfair to low-emitting countries, especially those with significant carbon capture capability, who are expected to reserve their forests without commensurate benefit to their populations.”
He reminded the audience on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, that one year ago in Glasgow, Scotland, our world was just beginning to emerge from the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and there was a sense of recovery.
According to the Liberian leader, such referenced a renewal of hope to act together, in concert, to re-focus their collective efforts on mitigating the devastating effects of global climate change.
President Weah re-confirmed Liberia’s commitments to contribute higher levels of financing to support efforts, review and re-evaluate chances of limiting the rise in global warming to meet our temperature target of 1.5 degrees Centigrade by 2030.
He said: “Now, one year later, as we meet in Sharm el-Sheikh today, we are observing, waiting, and hopeful that our promises made in Glasgow will be kept, and pledges fulfilled.”
The President also lauded the Government and People of the Arab Republic of Egypt for hosting the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 27).
He asserted that “So, as we assemble here once again to find a pragmatic and productive way forward, let us do so with renewed dedication, commitment, and sincerity, so that we harness our collective strengths to develop lasting solutions that will save our world, not only for ourselves, but for generations yet unborn.”
President Weah wants world leaders to stand by the decisions and commitments they make at this year COP27 conference taking place in Egypt to avert a global catastrophe. “Together, we can implement and make our one world a better place”, President Weah intoned.
Liberia is rich in carbon in its rain forest. According to the United Nations FAO, 44.9% or about 4,329,000 HA of Liberia is forested. And FAO says of this 4.0% (175,000) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Liberia had 8,000 HA of planet forest.
According to UN-FAO, change in forest cover between 1990 and 2010, Liberia lost an average of 30,000HA or o.61% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Liberia lost 12.2% of its forest cover, or around 600,000 HA.
Liberia’s forest contain 585 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. Biodiversity and protected areas Liberia has some 881 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Center. Of these, 0.8% are endemic, meaning they exit in no other country, and 4.2% are threatened. Liberia is the home to at least 2200 species of vascular plants of which 4.7% are endemic. 1.3% of Liberia is protected under IUCN categories IV.
