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:
- promoting a climate monitoring programme
- acknowledging a commitment to mitigate emissions, even at low or even insignificant levels of contribution to global emissions
- actively participating in protecting the ozone layer, as a means to reduce vulnerability of the highlands of Ethiopia
- encouraging re-vegetation, monitoring grazing and rehabilitating degraded land to compensate for high biomass-fuel consumption
Other sectoral policies include:
- soil husbandry and sustainable agriculture
- forest, woodland and tree resources
- genetic, species and ecosystem biodiversity
- energy resource
- water resources
- mineral resources
- human settlement, urban environment and environmental health
- control of hazardous materials and pollution from industrial waste
- cultural and natural heritage
