BY EPHREM ANDARGACHEW
Ethiopia, with the coming of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed into power, has given due concern for afforestation. The country has also prepared the Green Legacy initiative program to plant tree seedlings which is key to combatting the effects of climate change and promoting the reduction of greenhouse gasses.
The Initiatives implemented not only in Ethiopia but it is also expanded into neighboring countries namely Eritrea, Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan. South Sudan Ambassador to Ethiopia Ambassador James Pitia Morgan told local media that Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative undoubtedly benefits the region and the entire continent. Hence, the world especially, the eastern Africa region must take up Ethiopia’s commendable initiative of planting trees.
Along with neighboring countries, the diplomatic communities that reside in Ethiopia have endorsed the green legacy initiative program and have planted tree seedlings. The ambassadors also expressed their keenness to support the initiative.
Among others, Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Alelign Admasu, Czech ambassador to Ethiopia Pavel Mikeš, Norway’s Norwegian Aambassador to Ethiopia, Merete Lundemo, the Russian ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeny Terekhin, Former Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Tan Jian are among others who have participated in the plantation program.
According to Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ambassador Meles Alem, Ethiopia’s green legacy initiative has an enormous advantage for national, regional, and international adaptation and mitigation of the harmful effects of on climate change.
The Intergovernmental Authority On Development (IGAD) Executive Secretary Spokesperson Nuur Mohamud Sheekh stated that the Green Legacy Initiative that Ethiopia is undertaking significantly improves the resilience capacity of the drought-prone Eastern Africa region.
Ethiopia’s Green Legacy undoubtedly benefits the entire world’s environmental protection. The rate at which deforestation is taking place in some IGAD member states is alarming and millions of people are facing serious food insecurity. Therefore, Ethiopia has a lot of green legacy experience to share about dealing with drought and conservation of the environment, he explained.
Taking the value of the Green Legacy Initiative into account, local, regional and international actors are not only appreciated but also want urged to share the achievement of the initiative with other countries. For instance, The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was the first UN organ that announced the plan to share the experiences of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative with about 10 other African countries and make the Initiative Pan-African.
Alhaji Fall, speaking on behalf of Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), described the Green Legacy initiative as a stepping stone to a better future for Ethiopia. Announcing UNDP’s plan to share Ethiopia’s experiences with about 10 other countries and make the Green Legacy Initiative Pan-African, he praised Ethiopia for setting the pace in combating climate change and for fostering community resilience.
In fact, the green legacy initiative has several impacts not only on environmental protection but also on researchers, activists, and organizations that wish to work on environmental issues. Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute Plantation and Agroforestry Director and Senior Expert Dr. Abayneh Derero told the Ethiopian Herald that the Green Legacy initiative has serious engagement which has significant meaning for those who are working and caring for the environment.
It is also educational which teaches not only the Ethiopian population but also others who wish to learn the overall value of planting tree seedlings. The efforts of the initiative have local, regional and global impacts. It brings massive environmental impact in fighting deforestation, recovering degraded land, and so on, according to Dr. Abayneh.,
Furthermore, the problem of climate change is a common issue and it needs a common solution. Hence, the green legacy initiative is an African initiative that significantly provides a major platform to mitigate the negative impact of climate change. For this, the American Academy of Achievement and the Global Hope Coalition in Washington DC awarded Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in recognition of the Green Legacy Initiative.
This award shows that the progress of the green legacy initiative, the achievement of the framers, the survival of tree seedlings, the socio-economic benefits, the conservation value of nature, and the local, regional, and global impacts of the initiatives have been taken byare winning the acceptance of the international communities.
Because the green legacy task has a positive impact and alters the environment we live in by moderating the climate and improving air quality, it’s also a huge benefit for our health as well. It is also significant in preventing flooding, ensuring food security, and avoiding environment-related conflicts and other adverse. Restoring the country’s green cover, eliminating erosion and pollution, reducing conflicts arising due to environmental degradation and reduction of natural resources, and measures to support the agricultural sector and economy.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed expressed that the award is extending a hand of friendship to the African continent and for recognizing Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative as an African success story.
“Indeed, the continent is filled with many success stories not only in the past, but present, and future. The perspective that African countries are net producers of problems that always require external assistance is an outdated one. Hence, it is a great appreciation to the coordinators for lighting a torch on the continent’s net production of solutions” he stated.
Four years into the implementation of the Initiative, the county has mobilized 25 million Ethiopians across the nation to plant 25 billion tree seedlings which are equivalent to 250 seedlings per citizen. Therefore, the impact of the initiative could be equated to removing 64 million gasoline-powered cars from the roads for a whole year, Prime Minister noted.
Nowadays, the Initiative is the most extensive afforestation and reforestation program next to the Amazon. Furthermore, with the efforts of afforestation and reforestation campaigns, Ethiopia has put over 700,000 hectares of existing biodiversity and carbon-rich natural forests under a sustainable participatory forest management scheme, Abiy indicated.
By 2022, the initiative has fostered a flourishing national green culture, tripling the number of seedling nurseries to more than 121,000; creating more than 750,000 jobs mostly for women and youth; and generating 1.3 billion Ethiopian Birr in income. Ethiopia also accorded seedlings to neighboring countries to bolster regional cooperation for transboundary ecosystem management.
In fact, the Initiative contributes towards removing the equivalent of hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduces deforestation. “This implies Ethiopia’s significant contribution to the global climate change mitigation efforts,” he added.
Ethiopia’s tangible contribution to the overall global afforestation and reforestation pledge is impressive by any standard, but even more so when it has been financed primarily by domestic resources and efforts. Building on this success, Ethiopia plans to restore an additional 22 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 he said, adding “we are also developing a green fund and will pursue carbon trading schemes to help raise additional financing.”
“We aspire to reverse deforestation and build a green society in Ethiopia and Africa. We have no doubt that our Green Legacy story will motivate a global mobilization toward reconciling our modern civilization with our planet and ecosystems,” he underscored.
It is well accredited that Ethiopia has planned to combat climate change, putting a vision for greenery, and motivating the entire population to plant tree seedlings. This has brought not only local and regional recognition but also international award as an African success story which avoids the negatively portrayal of the African Image. More importantly, the initiative is a great appreciation for lighting a torch on the continent’s net production of solutions for a global problem.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD 20 DECEMBER 2022
