Climate Risk, Governance, and Institutional Adaptation Challenges in Liberia

Sea-level rise, intensifying floods, and deforestation pose urgent risks to low-income coastal countries, yet climate adaptation remains constrained by governance and resource gaps. Despite Liberia’s prominence in global vulnerability rankings, little research has examined the country’s adaptation processes and barriers. This case study addresses that gap by analyzing Liberia’s environmental vulnerabilities and institutional responses. The study first describes key vulnerabilities, including coastal erosion, urban flooding, rainfall and temperature variation, deforestation, and waste management and pollution. It then reviews the main organizations and policy frameworks engaged in climate adaptation and mitigation across the country. The study shows that despite formal policy frameworks such as the National Adaptation Plan and REDD+ Strategy, climate action remains fragmented, underfunded, and politically marginalized. Findings reveal how governance gaps, including limited institutional capacity, donor dependence, overlapping mandates, chronic neglect of basic services, and exclusion of local communities, undermine adaptation, leaving frontline communities to rely on self-organized strategies. The disconnect between national planning and local realities reveals deeper tensions between development goals and environmental sustainability. Liberia’s experience highlights how vulnerability is coproduced by socio-ecological systems and governance failures, offering insights for more inclusive, context-sensitive climate adaptation in the Global South.