In Africa, a huge wall is being built that can help save the life of the planet.
After years of working on a solution, leaders from 11 African countries (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Senegal), signed on to the initiative in 2007.
Today, there are more than 20 countries involved in which millions of trees are being planted around the Sahara desert with the aim of curbing climate change. Just over a decade into the project, the wall is nearly 15% complete, and its already bringing life back to Africa.
The Great Green Wall
The Great Green Wall is taking root in Africa’s Sahel region, at the southern edge of the Sahara desert – one of the poorest places on the planet.
The 15 km (9 miles) wide and 8,000 km (4,971 miles) long tree wall will stretch all the way from Senegal in West Africa to Djibouti in the East; from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The objective was to stop the advance of the Sahara towards the south to prevent desertification.
The original idea for The Great Green Wall was first proposed by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 and the African Union took it up in 2007. The World Bank helped co-finance it and the United Nations (UN) has been a supporter. Recently at the concluded climate change summit in Paris, French President François Hollande promised that his government will offer €1 billion a year by 2020 to the anti-desertification effort, including the Great Green Wall project.
So far, Senegal is champion of the project, planting more trees than anyone. The West African country has already planted over 12 million trees traveling 150 kilometers and covering 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) of land. Eventually, this is meant to extend to 545 kilometers enveloping 800,000 hectares, said Senegalese authorities.
The millions of trees that have been planted belong to several native species, such as the desert date, Indian plum or acacias. These trees have been chosen because they adapt to the climate, specifically the acacias which are resistant to drought and their shade saves the use of water on farms.
There is still a lot of work to be done, since, in addition to tree planting, a dike and a large irrigation system will be built to boost agriculture in the African countries most affected by hunger. Once complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, 3 times the size of the Great Barrier Reef.
Improving Millions Of Lives
Desertification is a growing problem in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 40% of the region’s land has been impacted, exposing more than 500 million people to devastating shifts in their environment and livelihoods. These have included land erosion and decreasing rains that have crippled agriculture, conflicts over dwindling natural resources, exposed communities to health risks that come with increasing sandstorms, migration and food shortages.
This is why Africa has decided to fight back by building this enormous green wall. As a result, agriculture, once again, is becoming an economic activity for communities that are most affected by the changes. Providing them with food, water, jobs and stability to people’s lives instead of forcing them into becoming homeless.
Green Global Symbol
The Great Green Wall isn’t just for the Sahel, it’s for the entire world. It is a global symbol for humanity to overcome its biggest threat – our rapidly degrading environment. It shows that if we can work together with nature as a collective, even in challenging places like the Sahel, we can overcome anything, and build a better world for generations to come.
Complications
However, this green wall has its critics. They argue that such as that a desert is a natural and healthy ecosystem, many of them reject the idea of this project. Skeptics disapprove of the treatment the Sahara is receiving: they believe it is being treated as a disease when, in fact, it is a natural process.
According to these studies, the plant barrier is counterproductive for development goals, since it works only on the perimeter of the area and not on the real problem. They argue that to fully increase food supply and support local communities, they must create ample crop areas instead of narrow parts, such as the wall.
Although, the wall could prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the future because of hunger. According to figures from the UN, up to 500 million Africans will see their quality of life deteriorate because of global warming. In addition, about 60 million people will have to move from their homes because of the desertification of the Sahara and Sahel. Whether we all agree together or not, the livelihood of all those millions of people who live near the wall depends on this project.
What do you think?
