Liberia

Liberia is at risk to hydrometeorological hazards and natural disasters. Climate change is expected to result in more extreme weather situations such as heavy rains and drought in West Africa.  While Liberia is prone to flooding but not drought, human displacement in neighboring countries may become an additional future challenge.  Heavy rains, storm surges, sea level rise and increased erosion, puts both urban and rural infrastructure at risk. Furthermore, heavily populated parts of the coast would be affected by frequent waterlogging, increased coastal erosion, and sea-level rise.  This is likely to result in significant economic losses, damage to agricultural lands, infrastructure as well as human casualties. Climate change is also expected to increase risks and severity of natural disasters in Liberia, through more intense temperatures as well as rainfall patterns, increased temperatures and prolonged heat waves. Vulnerability is acerbated due to the country’s high level of poverty and high dependence on ‘climate change sensitive’ sectors, such as agriculture, fisheries, mining and forestry.

This section provides a summary of key natural hazards and their associated socioeconomic impacts in a given country. And it allows quick evaluation of most vulnerable areas through the spatial comparison of natural hazard data with development data, thereby identifying exposed livelihoods and natural systems.