Climate Change
Sierra Leone is experiencing the immediate and severe effects of climate change, manifested through increasing instances of flooding, mudslides, and coastal degradation.
These environmental shifts are exacerbated by human activities such as slash-and-burn agriculture, logging, and mining, which are rapidly converting vital forest habitats into savannas. Driven by population growth and limited economic alternatives, this over-exploitation of land not only threatens biodiversity but also deepens poverty by eroding the natural resources that sustain local livelihoods.
The economic toll of this degradation is profound, with the annual cost estimated at US$401 million, or roughly 19% of the country’s GDP. As ecosystem services decline, Sierra Leone faces deteriorating soil fertility, reduced food availability, and diminished groundwater recharge. Currently, the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector is the primary driver of environmental pressure, accounting for 72% of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions, while existing forests are only able to sequester about 2% of those emissions.
In response to these challenges, Sierra Leone has established a progressive roadmap through its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The government has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% by 2025, 10% by 2030, and 25% by 2050. Central to this strategy is the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Pillar, which prioritizes agriculture and food security to protect everyone from subsistence farmers to large-scale exporters against the escalating risks of a changing climate.
Objectives
- Support local community efforts to adapt to and mitigate the effect of Climate Change on livelihoods.
- Support actions to increase forest and tree cover, restoration of degraded lands, including mining areas and increase biodiversity.
- Enhance the resilience of the Blue Economy coastal areas, communities, and livelihoods.
- Promote green investments and circular economy actions that enhance the environment and minimize waste.