Climate change poses a substantial hazard to both regional and global habitats and populations. It is distinguished by rising temperatures, changed weather patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, all of which have far-reaching repercussions for ecosystems, human health, and the economy.
Moreover, it is a worldwide phenomenon with negative consequences such as increasing sea levels, melting glaciers, and shifts in global weather patterns. These changes have far-reaching repercussions, impacting weather patterns as well as biodiversity. While climate change is a worldwide issue, its impacts vary by region. Some locations see more severe heat waves, while others encounter more flooding or droughts. Geographical location, natural climate fluctuation, and existing vulnerabilities all have an impact on regional differences.
The impacts of climate change are numerous, including extreme weather occurrences. More frequent and extreme heatwaves, droughts, floods, and storms endanger human health, infrastructure, and agriculture. It also exposed people to food insecurity because variations in temperature and rainfall patterns can damage agricultural production, resulting in food shortages and rising food prices.
Climate change has far-reaching consequences on the world’s water resources, in addition to agriculture. It affects water supply, with some areas experiencing water scarcity and others face increased flooding. This variability has the potential to exacerbate water-related disputes. It also has an impact on human health because higher temperatures can lead to heatstroke and other heat-related disorders. Changes in rainfall patterns can disperse vector-borne illnesses. Furthermore, climate change disturbs ecosystems, causing biodiversity loss and alterations in plant and animal distributions. It also threatens human security by exacerbating existing social, economic, and political conflicts, leading to displacement, migration, and even conflict.
Taking these issues and concerns into consideration, countries all over the world have put in place a variety of strategies to fight climate change. For instance, several countries accepted the Paris Agreement, which was enacted in 2015, to limit global warming to far below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. They also invoked the Kyoto Protocol, an earlier international pact that obligated its signatories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the basis that industrialized countries are principally responsible for the high levels of greenhouse gases in the environment.
Countries also develop national climate policies, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), set their own objectives for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and report on their progress. They also create climate action plans that lay out methods for lowering emissions, adjusting to climate change, and transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
Besides, some countries are planning various renewable energy schemes with subsidies and incentives. Governments offer financial incentives for renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and hydropower. They also use carbon pricing, such as carbon taxes. Carbon taxes are a charge applied to the carbon content of fuels that encourages businesses and individuals to reduce their carbon impact.
Ethiopian governments, regardless of political affiliation, ideological differences, or economic and agricultural policy disparities, develop their own afforestation and restoration initiatives aimed at expanding forest cover, improving carbon sequestration, and restoring ecosystems. Unlike earlier governments, the current government has developed the Green Legacy Initiative to address the negative effects of climate change.
The Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative is an ambitious environmental initiative initiated by the Ethiopian government in 2019. Its principal goals are to mitigate climate change, promote sustainable development, and increase the country’s forest cover.
The initiative’s goal is to plant billions of trees across Ethiopia to rehabilitate degraded lands, increase biodiversity, and combat deforestation. Furthermore, it aims to create public awareness about the value of trees and environmental conservation. Furthermore, by increasing forest cover, the effort hopes to strengthen the country’s resilience to climate change effects such as droughts and soil erosion.
The initiative aimed to plant 20 billion tree seedlings between 2019 and 2022, making it one of the biggest tree-planting campaigns ever. It involved a lot of community members, including local communities, schools, and organizations, who helped to plant and care for the trees, encouraging a sense of environmental responsibility and ownership.
The government has also launched the second Green Legacy Initiative, which has been in effect since 2023, by drawing lessons from the first program. Millions of trees have been planted since the initiative’s inception, demonstrating a high level of public participation thus far. It has attracted support and attention from all across the world, underscoring Ethiopia’s dedication to environmental sustainability.
As a result, the Ethiopian Green Legacy Initiative creates jobs in agriculture and forestry while simultaneously addressing environmental concerns and promoting economic growth. It is consistent with Ethiopia’s more general climate objectives and pledges made under global accords such as the Paris Agreement.
More significantly, the program is fostering regional and global collaboration to fight climate change, in addition to being carried out per regional and international agreements and procedures. As a result, Ethiopia has started supplying its neighbors with tree saplings. To develop and maintain the fight against climate change, Djibouti, for example, has taken seedlings for the third time. Other neighboring countries have also received tree saplings from Ethiopia.
Unlike the previous six green legacy programs, which were limited to Ethiopia and adjacent nations, this year’s program demonstrates a truly Pan-African initiative by giving 4,000 tree seedlings to Nigeria.
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The Ethiopian government has delivered 4,000 seedlings to the Nigerian government. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presented these seedlings to Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was in Ethiopia during the launch of the seventh Green Legacy Initiative program.
The saplings have already arrived at Abuja International Airport. Upon their arrival at the Nigerian airport, Ethiopian Ambassador Legesse Geremew held a handover ceremony with Nigerian Presidency representative personnel.
This extraordinary gift demonstrates Ethiopia and Nigeria’s shared commitment to cooperation and mutual support in all sectors. It demonstrates the two countries’ commitment to addressing climate change and ensuring natural restoration. Furthermore, the move demonstrates Ethiopia’s active participation in international cooperation agendas by sharing its green development expertise with neighboring and West African countries.
Indeed, addressing the global issue of climate change requires cooperation at the regional, national, and international levels. Due to Ethiopia’s experiences over the past seven years and its commitment to distributing seedlings to spread the idea of a green legacy, the Initiative has grown to become a Pan-African program. Ethiopia is making an effort more significant in terms of sustainability since it is extending it to West Africa, which was previously only available to neighboring countries.