Building climate change resilient green economy and ecosystem is now a core pillar to enhance nature based solutions for the sector. Starting from recent years, Ethiopia has been implementing an eco-friendly Green Legacy Initiative. It has been exerting concerted effort to mitigate climate change. As the country is committed to develop climate resilient green economy, it has designed a ten years’ perspective development plan incorporating the green economy issue in its national plan that enables realize the economic prosperity having a lion share to accomplish the plan.
In its recent national discussion forum on the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Sector, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission said that the nation has performed various activities to mitigate and respond to the adverse of climate change effect. As a result, the country has achieved remarkable successes in the sector in terms of mitigating and responding to climate change effect.
During the discussion session, Commission’s Commissioner, Prof. Fekadu Beyene said that the country’s forest cover has hit 17.2 percent at the moment. The efforts made to reduce deforestation in recent years such as green legacy initiative have played pivotal role in achieving the success. According to the Commissioner, the nation has invested 82 billion USD or 598 billion Birr to mitigate and respond to the effects of climate change over the past ten years from 2009 to 2018. Aiming to materialize the green legacy initiative, Ethiopia has managed to plant 9 billion tree seedlings, in only two years, out of the 20 billion seedlings planned to be planted in four years with active participation of the communities.
The green legacy initiative has contributed much to the country’s successes. The green legacy initiative which was launched in 2019 by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is a part of the government’s plan to enhance overall economic development of the country. The legacy is aligned with the priorities of the government’s national development plan and strategy. According to Prof. Fikadu, the activities that have been undertaken to mitigate climate change will enhance food security via realizing agricultural productivity programs and projects that are being implemented to build resilience of low-income and pastoralist communities.
Benefiting many households, the efforts have enabled to create job opportunities for women and youths in urban and rural areas, he said. According to the survey carried out on climate change mitigation performance during the plan period between 2009 and 2018, the nation has invested remarkable effort in finance and human resource to step up the progress. So, sustaining the achievements in the field is important to further register additional achievements, be exemplary for other countries and make the community beneficiary from the sector.
Furthermore, various scientific studies and researches, technology development and promotion activities have been implemented for wildlife development and conservation as the country is rich in birds and other wildlife species, he said. The government has so far stated that a wide range of activities have been carried out in the region to restore social and economic activities including the agriculture sector in the region.
According to documents, Ethiopia’s climate plans are placed within the range of what is considered to be a fair share of global effort and aligned with national economic development plans. The basis of Ethiopia’s climate change mitigation policy is its “Climate-Resilient Green Economy” (CRGE) strategy which aims to keep greenhouse gas emissions low and build climate resilience, while striving to achieve middle-income status.
The strategy is based on four pillars: improve crop and livestock production practices for higher food security and farmer income while reducing emissions; protect and re‐establish forests for their economic and ecosystem services, including as carbon stocks; expand electricity generation from renewable sources of energy for domestic and regional markets; and leapfrog to modern and energy‐efficient technologies in transport, industrial sectors, and buildings.
The Ethiopian government is working persistently to increase fuel efficiency standards and promote the uptake of hybrid and electric vehicles; construct a renewable energy powered electric rail network; improve public transportation in the capital, Addis Ababa; and increase the use of bio-fuels. In addition to these, it is committed to reduce carbon emissions using different means.
Hence, over the past years, Ethiopia has adopted various policies to support the effort considering its importance in reaching the long-term climate targets. Efforts are made to promote its implementation. As to Prof. Fikadu, country’s climate change policy, programmes, budget and monitoring and evaluation are based on frameworks. It focuses on organizations responsible for coordinating climate change actions in Ethiopia. Addressing climate change issues can be incorporated into the day-to-day operations of concerned bodies.
Addressing the climate change is removing of the greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere and adaptation efforts to adjust systems and societies to withstand the impacts of it. The government and communities should pursue actions such as promoting the benefits of decentralizing energy distribution, securing indigenous peoples’ beneficiary, improve opportunities and others, he said.
Moreover, adopting green economy practices will unlock economic growth, create job opportunities and deliver wider socio-economic benefits. Most green economy initiatives directly support new business opportunities for the private sector in the value chain. The initiative will create macroeconomic benefits by establishing a more secure power supply, essential prerequisite for sustainable economic development and increasing energy efficiencies in the transport, industry, and buildings sectors, he noted.
Furthermore, low carbon emissions can be marketed as a competitive advantage for Ethiopia’s exports. And also the sustainable economic development will help to open the door to international environmental support. Such support could complement Ethiopia’s own green growth budget and other sources of funds that have already been earmarked for development. The green economy strategy also entails wider socio-economic benefits. Green growth will accelerate rural development by reducing soil erosion, increasing soil fertility, food security, and rural employment.
He further said that households will benefit by increasing their domestic savings and thus the capacity to invest in improving labor and land productivity and to participate more profitably in domestic and export markets will be invigorated. These tangible benefits for local communities should stimulate a virtuous cycle of mutually reinforcing effects in support of green economy growth.
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
The Ethiopian Herald May 16/2021
