The policy's stated goal is to 'improve and enhance the health and quality of life of all Ethiopians and to promote sustainable social and economic development through the sound management and use of natural, human-made and cultural resources and the environment as a whole…' This is done through several sectoral policies as well as some cross-sectoral policies. One sectoral policy specifically addresses climate change and atmospheric pollution, through:

 
 Other sectoral policies include:

In Ethiopia, the issue of enforcing environmental laws and policies has created practical challenges beyond the sphere of theoretical discourses. Major challenges in relation to the enforcement of environmental laws include environmental preservation, climate change, high population growth, scientific uncertainties, usage of outdated technologies, lack of political commitments, societal attitudes, and poverty.  Specifically, issues like genetically modified organisms (GMOs), environmental impact assessment, and environmental pollution has become controversial in recent times. In fact, the lack of environmental impact assessment in relation to foreign investments has been mentioned as one of the triggering factors of the recent instability in the country.

Indeed, without strong enforcement, laws and policies are meaningless. In many occasions, in the interest of accelerating development, developing countries reluctantly loosen their control and supervision on the enforcement of environment related policies and laws. In this aspect, Ethiopia is not immune from criticism either. However, upgrading the Environmental Protection Authority to the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change [MEFCC] has been taken as a positive step in terms of improving its records.

http://fes-ethiopia.org/1302