Liberia launches plan to monetize natural assets through carbon markets

Liberia is implementing a plan to transform its natural assets, including forests, mangroves, rivers, and its 579-kilometer coastline, into sources of climate finance. The goal is to attract high-integrity investment that compensates local communities for protecting these environments.

Jeanine M. Cooper, CEO of the Liberia Carbon Markets Authority and presidential envoy on climate action, presented the strategy at a high-level forum in New York during the U.N. General Assembly. The authority has already begun registering carbon projects and has submitted a National Carbon Policy to President Joseph Boakai.

Throughout 2026, the authority has worked to establish the necessary digital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks for a carbon market. This framework aims to integrate Liberia’s green and blue assets into a single natural capital system, leveraging the country’s status as a significant biodiversity hotspot and carbon sink in West Africa.