Liberia unlike other countries in West Africa has 40% of West Africa?s total rain forest. Looking at the relationship between the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and our atmosphere, we are overwhelmed by the extent of damage humans have caused, and we are not sure if an individual can make any impact.

Just about all human activities in our modern world produce greenhouse gases (GHGs), primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), and thus contribute to climate change. The use of fossil fuels for transportation, generation of electricity, and industries is the main source of CO2 emissions. However, the removal of trees from forested land also generates GHGs: mature forests, having absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere while growing, store carbon in wood, leaves, and soil, and this C is released when people clear forested land. Documented sources affirm that in the last decade the destruction and degradation of forestland accounts for about 12 % of global GHG emissions. With the recent discovery of oil in Liberia, Liberia is gradually getting threatened  and one can but foresee the destructions that awaits our ecological wonder which is our beloved tropical rainforest.

Can anything be done? Some of my colleagues ask? Why do we exist in this threatened environment? Are there others around us thinking on the issues and taking steps? Yes there are, there are millions of people just like you, who are learning about the issue and taking little steps to help. Additionally, many governments, organizations and societies are making great strides in helping reducing deforestation, and encouraging forest plantations. For example, my research detects that Illegal logging has been rife in Liberia since the end of its civil war in 2004 and Norway has pledged US $150 million to help the country end all deforestation by 2020. The money will initially go to building capacity in government and society.

But there is still a lot to do.

Due to the extent and nature of forest destruction, efforts to stop deforestation and preserve them are best achieved at government and organization levels. This means that laws, rules and regulations from countries at international gatherings can help to enforce the preservation of forests. Laws on farming, timber and wood, as well as land use must be encouraged and enforced.

This is what we have been proposing to our fellow colleagues in an effort to show that we are fully involved with the process we proposed to

• Make a conscious effort to share information with others (friends at school and family members) on deforestation and its' effects. Some of your friends may laugh at you and say it is silly to think that you can solve problems like this. But that is OK, things work better when responsible people don?t give up. Stand up for what you believe in.
•  Join organizations, forest-preservation societies and pressure groups that aim to help preserve the rest of our natural resources. When more people work together, the impact is greater.
• Reduce the use of artificial items, recycle more and re-use items. Wood, paper, plastics and many other things we use every day at home can be linked to natural resources being destroyed. This means that if we all recycle more, there will be less dependence on the environment (and trees). It also means that companies and governments will import less raw-material from the forest regions of the world of which Liberia is a part.

• FDA Liberia (http://www.fda.gov.lr/)