BY EPHREM ANDARGACHEW
In some cases development activities that are intended to bring about the economic growth of a country could cause forest loss. This is because the development activities mostly involve clearing of lands, emission of carbon and other actions that endanger the environment. Therefore, planting tree seedlings play an indispensable role in addressing various pressing sustainability and social-ecological challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
Studies indicate that over the past years, the global forest area has significantly declined while the population increases over the period. Along with population and economic growth, forest losses occur in developing countries since the people use forests for the day-to-day activities of their life. Besides, economic growth has a stronger association with forest loss.
Hence, states have designed many strategies to curb the problem of forest loss which include planting tree seedlings. Planting tree seedlings play an imperative role in the conservation of global biodiversity by regulating climate change, provisioning basic materials for sustenance, and reduction of the impacts of natural hazards.
Taking the value of greenery and climate change into account, Ethiopia has been implementing Green Legacy Initiative programs for the last four years. The initiative set to plant 20 billion seedlings in four years, but in this final year, the country has planted over 25 billion tree seedlings across the nation.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed said in this green legacy initiative program, not only Ethiopians but also Ambassadors, International Organizations, and diplomatic communities residing in Ethiopia have participated. As a result, the Initiative has met its set objectives and various results have been registered. Hence, the green legacy initiative successfully achieved its goal.
The initiative is important to Ethiopia’s aspirations to build a green and climate-resilient economy. Like other parts of the world, Ethiopia has been confronted with climate change and environmental degradation. Moreover, climate change effects have contributed to flooding, soil erosion, deforestation, and biodiversity loss.
The country has made various efforts to mitigate climate change. The efforts also give due emphasis to counter climate change that paves way for economic growth and national prosperity. According to PM Abiy, protecting and conserving the environment is one of Ethiopia’s key development objectives since it is a determinant of human health and a healthy ecosystem that supports the biodiversity of the country.
During the Derg era, between 1977 and 1980, the country planned to plant up to one billion plants, he recalled. But now the people and government of Ethiopia have planned and managed to plant 25 billion tree seedlings in 4 years. This success is something that anyone can easily recognize and understand. In order to achieve better results, it is important to have an expanded Green legacy initiatives plan across the nation.
Although today, developed countries that have wealth and money want to plant over 1 billion tree seedlings, it is difficult for them. Whereas, over 20 to 30 million people, it is not in one day, have been planting tree seedlings since 2019 continuously without payment.
Consequently, the result of the green legacy achieved by the people of Ethiopia will be thoroughly examined in history in the future, but the result achieved now is not an easy task since it is important for future generations, he explained.
Indeed, countries that have reached prosperity now, when their history is studied, although the beginning of their development is not a green legacy, have given great importance to greenery. For example, in America, there are beautiful big different forests which are planted a long time ago by a generation in America who understood the nature of saplings planted extensively and passed it on to this generation.
Because that generation, by understanding the value of greenery, actively planted tree seedlings, built various infrastructures, and modernized farms. Then the current generation continues improving what they have already started there.
“It’s not just America if we look at China. China is now a country on the road to prosperity. One of the most widely practiced activities in China 10 or 30 years ago is planting saplings. Now those planted seedlings made china green.”
Therefore, it is significant to harmonize economic growth and infrastructure construction with green development including planting tree seedlings. Because planting tree seedlings is imperative not only to fight the climate but also to have complete social-economic developments. When the economic capacity of the human being increases, the need for natural things increases, he said.
The green legacy initiative program that Ethiopia started in 2019, although the results of this generation will not be seen soon, has a significant contribution to fighting climate change and bringing complete development across the nation. And the results that have come in now are very encouraging and should continue to strengthen, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy underlined.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 10 AUGUST 2022
