Monrovia, Liberia — October 13, 2025 — The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia, Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, has issued a stirring call to young Liberians to lead the nation’s climate response through innovation, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement, asserting that the future of the planet rests on the courage and creativity of today’s youth.
Dr. Yarkpawolo delivered the charge on Friday at the National Consultation on the Liberia Youth Climate Agenda for COP30, held at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia. The forum convened youth leaders, climate advocates, government officials, and development partners to align youth priorities ahead of the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The event was organized by the Federation of Liberian Youth with support from ActionAid and partner organizations.
Positioning the moment as both a crisis and an opportunity, the EPA Boss underscored the disproportionate impact of climate change on young people—and their unique potential to drive solutions. “Across the world, young people are on the frontlines of climate change,” he said. “Yet, it is these same youth who hold the greatest potential to lead global transformation.”
Highlighting Liberia’s commitment under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), submitted to the UNFCCC in September 2025, Dr. Yarkpawolo reaffirmed the country’s target to cut national greenhouse gas emissions by 64 percent by 2035—comprising a 10 percent unconditional reduction financed domestically and a 54 percent conditional reduction reliant on international finance, technology, and capacity support. He emphasized that the NDC is a vehicle for youth empowerment: “This NDC is not just about numbers; it is about people. It is about you, the youth of Liberia.”
Youth-centered provisions in NDC 3.0 include:
• Creating 5,000 green jobs in renewable energy, waste management, and climate-smart agriculture.
• Appointing a youth representative to the National Climate Change Steering Committee.
• Integrating climate education across school curricula.
• Catalyzing youth-led entrepreneurship and community-based climate solutions.
“These are not empty promises,” he noted. “They are the foundation for the Liberia you will inherit—and the Liberia you must build.”
Applauding emerging youth innovations, Dr. Yarkpawolo cited initiatives converting sachet plastic waste into marketable backpacks and computer bags—ventures that reduce pollution while creating income. He urged young people to turn climate risks into enterprise: “Recycle waste, produce solar lanterns, cultivate climate-smart farms, restore mangrove forests. That is how you move from being victims to becoming architects of resilience and prosperity.”
He called for robust youth participation in implementing NDC 3.0 and in ensuring transparency around climate finance. “You are not just beneficiaries; you are partners in implementation,” he said, urging youth voices to influence donors and policy priorities at home and abroad.
Looking ahead to COP30, Dr. Yarkpawolo announced that Liberia will host a national pavilion in Belém to showcase progress, innovations, and partnerships. He invited youth to design and lead segments of the program: “Bring your creativity, your art, your innovations, and your voices to the global stage. Show the world that Liberian youth are not waiting for change—they are driving it.”
He closed with a challenge to safeguard Liberia’s forests, rivers, and coasts for future generations. “The future is not something we wait for; it is something we create,” he said, echoing President Joseph Nyuma Boakai: “We did not inherit the earth from our ancestors; it is on loan to us from our children.”
“Let us rise together as one generation of climate champions—bold enough to innovate, courageous enough to act, and united enough to change Liberia’s story from vulnerability to victory,” Dr. Yarkpawolo affirmed.
