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African countries came together to plant an 8,000km long wall of trees

Yeliana Yasmin Andara Sangronis.

The original plan for the construction of the Great Green Wall began in 2007. It aims to plant trees over 8,000 km of land stretching from Senegal to Djibouti. It will stop desertification in an area that is already afflicted by rising temperatures,floods and war. 

(Thin Lei Win)

According to scientists, about a fifth of the Earth’s land area is poorly shaped as a result of natural cycles, these include erosion and human activities like deforestation and overgrazing. Indeed, the land that has already been degraded is less viable as it emits climate-warming carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide into Earth’s atmosphere. With that being said, desertification has forced many people to abandon their homes due to the inability of growing subsistence crops.

Desertification.

Climate change is exacerbating the issue of desertification (IPCC) which has been described as “our time´s greatest environmental threat,” by the UN´s top dryland official, Luc Gnacadja. In a treaty signed in 1994, the UNCCD defined desertification as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas as a result of various factors, including climate fluctuations and other human activities.” In simpler terms, rather meaning the “literal expansion of deserts,” it is a word used to describe land loss in water-scarce areas of the planet.

It is important to note that desertification is a serious problem that is afflicting Sub-Saharan Africa (NRCS), wreaking havoc on the land and its inhabitants. Thus resulting in death, hunger, diseases, and malnutrition. The key issue of desertification is how humans use and continue degrading the ground. Nevertheless, this can be avoided by raising awareness and proving the necessary information to the public, as well as teaching them how to properly use the land to prevent it from deteriorating even more. Despite that, society would benefit from an environment that is kept clean to live in much healthier conditions.

Great Green Wall.

The Great Green Wall is an African-led campaign whose main goal is to create an 8,000 km natural wonder that spans the continent. Climate change, drought, famine, war, and migration are only a few of the many challenges that face not only the African continent but also the entire world. Today, the initiative is restoring life to Africa’s ravaged ecosystems on a massive scale. Moreover, it will be three times the size of the current Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, it contributes significantly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve a more prosperous and sustainable environment by 2030.

Projects along the Great Green Wall transect.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an estimate of 10 million hectares of land must be reclaimed each year in Africa to reverse the effects of decades of overgrazing and deforestation. “It’s a race against time,” Nora Berrahmouni, FAO´s forest officer for drylands, said. “Dryland forests are disappearing and climate change is happening – and more droughts and floods will not make the work easy,” she concluded (Image: DTE).

Positive news.

The Great Green Wall (GGW) project involves national governments, foreign organizations, the private sector, and civil society. Without a doubt, the Great Green Wall is a game-changer in the Sahel due to the immense number of factors that have come together. It has led to a large-scale reform due to its Pan-African cooperation and regional reach, as well as financial commitments worldwide. Science can be structured to educate, evaluate and aid in the navigation of the GGW at all stages during both the decision-making and monitoring processes. 

The solution of the GGW may have to do less with changing the environment and more with changing attitudes. To illustrate this, when people consider the possible solutions to global warming, they prefer to concentrate on rather large-scale initiatives. It is important to applaud the Great Green Wall for its vast territorial ambition as it will also have the greatest effect on humanity since it will help people fulfill their needs without damaging nature.

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