Initiated by the reformist leader Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative implementation has counted consecutive seven years. This was organized in response to the call of UN to act on climate change.
Climate change has been a critical global agenda that can be achieved through planting and growing trees. And the United Nations has been calling on people everywhere to work together to solve climate challenges and realize the commitments since the 2015 Paris Agreement: "Everyone has a role in climate action."
In line with some sources and professionals of the sector, climate change resilience refers to the ability of a system, community, or individual to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the negative impacts of climate change, while minimizing damage and maintaining essential functions.
It encompasses the capacity to cope with and adapt to both the direct effects of climate change, like extreme weather events, and the indirect consequences, such as changes in ecosystems or resource availability.
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Considering that climate resilience comprises understanding potential climate risks and developing strategies to minimize their impact, Ethiopia has prioritized planting trees to tackle climate change for the future generation. As state minister for foreign affairs Am.
Berhanu said last week, Ethiopian's Green Legacy is a generational project that lays the foundation for the future generations. Over the last seven years, Ethiopia has planted some 40 billion trees through the Green Legacy Initiative proposed by the Prime Minister. It was launched in 2019 with a plan of planting 4 billion seedlings and succeeded by planting over 4.7 billion. In 2020 it planned to planned 5 billion which it surpassed by planting beyond 5.9 billion.
In the same way, it arranged in 2021 to plant 6 billion while it achieved 6.8 billion far from the plan. As well, in 2022, over 7.2 seedlings were planted surpassing the plan by 1.7 billion.
Likewise, in 2023 and 2024, similar plans were organized with similar achievements, 6.5 and over 7.5 respectively. And, in this year, all the necessary preparations were made to plant 7.5 billion seedlings from which over 714 million were planted within a day on July 31 breaking all the records registered in the previous years.
As I have mentioned in the article published on August 2 under the title 'Ethiopia's Green Legacy Deserves International Award' the initiative has brought about a very promising persist able results.
For example, it has enhanced Ethiopia's forest coverage has grown from 17.2 percent in 2018 to 23.6 percent by 2023, moving steadily toward the national goal of 30 percent by 2030. This progress has been supported by over 120,000 seedling stations nationwide which are not only technical hubs but engines of employment.
These have created over 760,000 jobs which could surpass 1.2 million if each station employs at least 10 people. So, Green Legacy Initiative is not just about planting trees; it is about planting livelihoods.
Similarly, Ethiopia's Green Legacy Initiative also focuses on food security. According to reports, over 50 percent of the planted seedlings are fruit-bearing trees, such as avocado, mango, papaya, and coffee which are strategically chosen for both ecological and economic impacts.
Many of these trees planted over the past years are now matured and are contributing to Ethiopia's growing horticulture and export market. Coffee exports, for instance, have reached 480,000 tons generating billions of USD in revenue partly sourced from trees planted through the Green Legacy Initiative.
The Green Legacy Initiative is a generational transformation project, crucial for securing Ethiopia's future and leaving a lasting legacy for coming generations.
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As a result, strengthening the Green Legacy Initiative is essential to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency, mitigate the effects of climate change, prevent land degradation, and ensure a healthy environment for future generations.
In keeping with Amb Berhanu, the Green Legacy also has international importance but not only national interest. The diplomatic value of the Green Legacy initiative role is not only building the momentum of the initiative in neighboring countries but also fostering strong, friendly, and brotherly relations with other nations.
At last, as Dire Dawa City Mayor Kedir Juhar underscored on July 31 planting performance, planting over 714 million seedlings in a single day is a powerful demonstration of Ethiopia's unity. For that reason, the Green Legacy Initiative is more than planting trees for climate change; it is also a unifying initiative. It is enhancing thoughtfulness of the existing generation for the generation to come.
