Suche
Mein Konto
The Great Green Wall: Africa's hope against climate change!
Find out everything about the UNI Erlangen-Nuremberg, its current projects, the challenges and successes in the areas of reforestation and climate protection.
The Great Green Wall: Africa's hope against climate change!
A new documentary about the Great Green Wall initiative highlights the profound challenges and remarkable progress in one of the most vulnerable areas on earth, the Sahel region. According to the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg The film focuses on the efforts to plant an 8,000 kilometer long line of trees that will connect 22 African countries.
Directed by Academy Award-nominated director Fernando Meirelles, the Great Green Wall initiative is presented as a significant project that aims to restore over 100 million hectares of land by 2030, helping to combat climate change, desertification and agricultural distress. However, this region is facing drastic changes, with temperature increases 1.5 times faster than the global average.
Background and challenges
The Great Green Wall fights against serious problems such as land degradation and resource scarcity, which not only affect the environment but also the livelihoods of millions. In the Sahel region, almost 50 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's over one billion residents are under the age of 15, a fact that underlines the urgency of the measure. Without rapid action, up to 60 million people could be forced to leave their homes due to climate impacts.
The region's population is heavily dependent on agriculture - over 80 percent of people earn their living from it. However, the film not only conveys a warning about the consequences of climate change, but also tells of hope, resilience and the collective action that is necessary to shape a better future.
Joint efforts for reforestation
The initiative was launched by the African Union in 2007 and has already raised almost $14 billion by 2023. The aim is to not only reduce CO2 emissions by growing trees, but also to create new jobs, generate up to 10 million green jobs and sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon.
How thegreatgreenwall.org reports, the project highlights the crucial role that reforestation plays in the fight against climate change. Forests are important carbon sinks and help to bind CO2. In addition, reforestation can combat soil erosion and breathe new life into degraded landscapes.
A notable aspect of the initiative is its collaboration with local communities to ensure that their way of life and rights are respected. The inclusion of native tree species is also considered critical to avoid negative impacts on local ecosystems.
Global perspective
From a broader perspective, the film shows the successes of global reforestation initiatives and their challenges. Positive examples include China's Grain for Green program and India's compensatory afforestation program, both of which have made significant progress in combating desertification and restoring ecosystems. Sigma Earth explains that planting a trillion new trees could reduce a third of human-caused CO2 emissions, highlighting the urgency of initiatives such as the Great Green Wall.
The vision embodied by the “Great Green Wall” goes beyond mere reforestation. It is an expression of a global movement that seeks to mobilize both local and international communities to fight climate change and improve living conditions for millions.