Liberia, March 26 -- A few nights before a high level climate dialogue convened in Monrovia last week, a violent windstorm tore through Gomue Village, Zota District, Bong County in, what experts said, was an ominous reminder of the stakes for Liberians across the country as climate change worsens. Roofs were shredded; families fled into the dark and household belongings were scattered across the mud.

With a growing number of disasters caused by climate change and little funding available for disaster management, Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo, the Environmental Protection Agency's executive director, was forced to appeal for assistance for the victims.

At a high-level climate dialogue held last week experts said the disaster underscored two g...