As the world marks World Environment Day 2026 under the theme “Climate Action, ” Mother Earth for Climate Justice (ME4CJ) joined the global call for urgent action to address climate change, protect ecosystems, and uphold the rights of communities affected by environmental harm.
They said that across Sierra Leone, communities continue to face the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, including recurrent flooding, water pollution, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and the consequences of unsustainable extractive activities, pointing out that these challenges threaten livelihoods, food security, public health, and sustainable development.
“Climate change is also a matter of justice. Communities that contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions often suffer the greatest impacts,” ME4CJ said.
They said that citizens and environmental defenders who raise concerns about environmental harm frequently face intimidation and other forms of repression.
“ME4CJ believes that effective climate action must be grounded in transparency, accountability, and meaningful community participation,” the organisation said.
ME4CJ said that they are concerned about the growing problem of plastic pollution in Sierra Leone, noting that single-use plastics continue to clog drainage systems, pollute waterways and beaches, and contribute to urban flooding.
They also cautioned regarding offshore oil exploration activities, calling for comprehensive assessments of their potential impacts on coastal ecosystems and fishing communities.
ME4CJ called on the Government of Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other relevant institutions to strengthen environmental governance, enforce environmental laws, address plastic pollution, and hold polluting industries accountable.
They called on extractive companies to uphold environmental and human rights standards, development partners to support community-led climate resilience initiatives, and citizens to actively participate in protecting the environment.
