The Great Green Wall: A Wall of Trees Crossing All of Africa

The consequences of climate change go far beyond a simple rise in temperature. In some regions, it is the difference between surviving or moving elsewhere, escaping land without life. This is especially true in the African Sahel, where desertification continues to advance. The answer to combat it is the Great Green Wall initiative, involving more than twenty countries and multiple international agencies. The goal is to reinforce the entire Sahel belt, creating a green wall from west to east that resists desertification and provides food security.

We can keep debating and demanding action on climate change as much as we want, but sooner or later we have to get our hands dirty. Some regions of the globe can no longer wait. Cities sinking, islands disappearing, deserts that never stop growing. The African Sahel feels the impact without mitigation. It is estimated that by 2039, the population in that region will double, so there is a double challenge: to enable all those people to live there, and to avoid an ecological catastrophe.

The Great Green Wall

The original idea of building a 'green front' to contain the desert dates back to the 1950s, but it was in 2007 that the African Union (after initial approval in 2005) endorsed the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel initiative. Almost eight thousand kilometers long, crossing eleven countries (from Senegal to Djibouti), with a series of direct interventions (the authorities use the term 'mosaics') that have allowed millions of hectares to be reclaimed from the desert. In Niger alone, five million hectares were restored, an area that yielded half a million tons of additional grain annually.

From a technical point of view, its 'construction' is at 15 percent. Once completed in 2030, the Great Green Wall will create 350,000 rural jobs, and will have the capacity to absorb 250 million tons of carbon dioxide. A true wonder of the world, natural and artificial at the same time, three times larger than the Great Barrier Reef.

Of course, the difficulties are gigantic. The Sahara does not lower its arms, and local conflicts are an everyday thing. Between now and 2030, 10 million hectares per year must be recovered. The Great Green Wall already has its own documentary, and the best we can do from this side is to keep talking about it. It seems unbelievable, but it is a wall we definitely agree with.

Official site: Click here