About Us - CASD

Our Story

Climate Action and Sustainable Development (CASD) was founded in 2023 to turn the growing climate crisis into actionable solutions for Liberia and the region. Through research, advocacy, restoration, and collaboration, we have grown into a trusted voice and partner dedicated to serving our communities and ecosystems.

Our work is rooted in the belief that environmental sustainability and human development are inseparable. From the forests of Liberia to the halls of global climate summits, CASD works tirelessly to ensure that Liberian voices are heard and Liberian landscapes are protected.

Liberia stands at the heart of West Africa's climate future. The country contains approximately 7.5 million hectares of tropical forest, representing about 43% of the remaining Upper Guinean Forest, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Yet Liberia's natural assets are increasingly under pressure from deforestation, rising sea levels, and land degradation. Strengthening resilience and safeguarding natural capital are not environmental luxuries. They are economic necessities.

Our Approach

CASD blends science, community engagement, and policy advocacy to build resilient ecosystems and societies. Our integrated approach ensures that solutions are both evidence-based and locally grounded.

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Research-Led

Every program is grounded in rigorous data and evidence. We commission applied research and partner with institutions to ensure climate actions are locally relevant and globally informed.

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Community-Centered

Local communities guide our priorities and participate in solutions. We place people at the center of every intervention we design and every decision we make.

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Policy-Focused

We translate field work into national and international policy. Our advocacy ensures climate change considerations are embedded in financial systems and development frameworks.

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Globally Connected

We link Liberian issues to global climate frameworks including the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Sendai Framework.

Our Core Values

Everything we do at CASD begins and ends with people and the planet they depend on. Six core values guide every decision we make, every partnership we build, and every community we serve. They are not words on a wall. They are the principles we show up with every single day in the forests of Liberia, in the halls of government, in the communities we serve, and on the global stage.

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Evidence-Based Action

At CASD we do not guess. We investigate. Every program we design, every recommendation we make, and every dollar we invest is grounded in credible research and context-specific evidence. We commission applied research aligned with national climate priorities, partner with government ministries to strengthen public-sector research capacity, and mentor the next generation of Liberian climate researchers. When the evidence speaks, we listen and we act accordingly. Because in the fight against climate change, good intentions without good data are simply not enough.

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Gender and Social Inclusion

Climate change does not affect everyone equally. Women, youth, and marginalized communities bear the heaviest burden of a crisis they did little to create. At CASD we refuse to design solutions that leave the most vulnerable at the margins. Every program we build deliberately centers the voices, needs, and leadership of women, young people, and underserved communities. We believe that a climate solution which does not include everyone is not a solution at all. It is just a delay.

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Collaborative Engagement

No organization, no government, and no community can solve the climate crisis alone. At CASD collaboration is not a strategy. It is a conviction. We actively engage government officials, private-sector partners, civil society organizations, community leaders, and international partners to ensure that every climate solution we deliver is co-designed, locally owned, and built to last. We bring people to the table who are rarely invited. We listen before we lead. And we measure our success not by what CASD achieves alone but by what we achieve together.

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Innovation and Scalability

Liberia does not need more pilot projects that never grow. CASD is committed to designing solutions from day one with scale in mind. We combine nature-based approaches, green finance mechanisms, and capacity-building investments to turn promising local interventions into replicable models that can spread across counties, borders, and regions. Innovation at CASD means asking not just what works here and now but what can work everywhere, for generations to come.

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Community Empowerment

The communities that depend most directly on Liberia's forests, rivers, and coastlines are not passive beneficiaries of climate action. They are its most essential leaders. CASD invests in local capacity, green jobs, and community-owned enterprises because we know that lasting environmental protection can only come from within. When a community understands why their forest matters, has the skills to protect it, and earns a livelihood from doing so, conservation becomes not a burden but a source of pride and prosperity.

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Transparency and Accountability

Trust is not given. It is earned. At CASD we hold ourselves to the highest standards of transparency in everything we do. We report honestly on our results, including what did not work and why. We manage every donor dollar with rigor and care. We communicate openly with the communities we serve, the partners we engage, and the public we are accountable to. In a world where too many promises go unfulfilled, CASD is committed to being an organization whose word means something. Because the people and ecosystems we serve deserve nothing less.

Policy Foundations

Our work aligns with and advances key international and national frameworks that guide climate action across Liberia and West Africa.

Paris Agreement

Committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C and supporting Liberia's Nationally Determined Contributions under the UNFCCC.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Protecting Liberia's rich biodiversity and the Upper Guinean Forest — one of the world's most critical ecosystems.

National Climate Policy

Supporting Liberia's National Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy 2018 and the National Adaptation Programme of Action.

Sendai Framework

Advancing disaster risk reduction and building climate resilience across communities and institutions in Liberia.

Our Mission

To advance truth-driven climate action by supporting adaptation, mitigation, and resilience through sustainable development solutions.

Our Vision

To become the premier climate-focused organization leading private-sector engagement in climate action across Liberia and West Africa by 2035.

About CASD