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THE GREAT GREEN WALL OF AFRICA: A NEW WONDER OF THE WORLD?

2 min read

Sustainable Planet

The Great Green Wall is an ambitions African-led project to grow an 8,000km natural barrier across the entire width of Africa in an effort to combat the effects of climate change.

THE GREAT GREEN WALL: FOOD, JOBS AND A FUTURE FOR MILLIONS

The Great Green Wall is an African-led project with an epic ambition: to grow an 8,000km/4,970 mile-long natural ‘Wonder of the World’ across the entire width of Africa. Its aim is to provide food, jobs and a future for the millions of people who live in a region on the very frontline of climate change. Once completed, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on Earth and potentially a new Wonder of the World.

THE GREAT GREEN WALL IS TAKING ROOT ACROSS AFRICA

The Great Green Wall is literally taking root in the Sahel region, at the southern edge of the Sahara desert — one of the poorest places on the planet. More than anywhere else on Earth, the Sahel is on the frontline of climate change and millions of locals are already facing its devastating impact. 

Persistent droughts, lack of food, conflicts over fewer natural resources, and mass migration to Europe are some of the many consequences.

Yet, local people from Senegal in the West to Djibouti in the East are fighting back. Since the birth of the Great Green Wall initiative in 2007, life has started coming back to the land, bringing with it greater food security, jobs and stability to people’s lives.

The Great Green Wall isn’t just for the Sahel, say those behind the project. It is global symbol for humanity overcoming its biggest threat – our changing environment.

They say it shows that if we can work with nature, even in challenging places like in the Sahel, we can overcome adversity, and build a better world for generations to come.

More than growing trees and plants, the Great Green Wall is already transforming the lives of millions of people in the Sahel region. 

Inna Modja is a Malian singer and activist who has been to Senegal for BBC Newsnight to witness this pan-African initiative, the Great Green Wall. Watch her video below, as she poses the question, "Will it help fight climate change?"

Source: Greatgreenwall.org

The Great Green Wall of Africa: Will it help fight climate change? — asks BBC Newsnight Climate change poses huge challenges and some projections say it will cause hundreds of millions to become refugees. Desertification in sub-Saharan Africa plays a big part of that, and that in turn feeds into Europe’s unfolding migrant crisis. Source: YouTube/BBCNewsnight

STAGGERING STATISTICS AND KNOWN BENEFITS OF THE GREAT GREEN WALL

  • At nine miles wide and 4,750 miles long, the vision for the project is as ambitious as it is necessary. 
  • So far, only 330 miles of greenery stands guard in Northern Senegal, and costing the Sengalese government over $6 million since the start of digging in 2008. 
  • International organisations have pledged over $3 billion to the monumental defense system.
  • Leaders point out that the Great Green Wall is about more than just protection from windblown sand. The project will bring thousands of jobs to impoverished communities, and has already transformed otherwise unusable land into gardens scattered with tree nurseries. 
  • The influx of tourists, scientists, and medical professionals has also brought attention and resources to a neglected region in which aid is scarce and doctors are not readily available for the needy populations.

Source: AtlasObscura.com

David Milsom, Creative Strategist at venturethree — “The Great Green Wall is a hugely progressive and ambitious project, not just for Africa, for the whole world. It’s more than just an environmental initiative; it’s a symbol of hope that humanity can reverse the effects of climate change. ‘Growing a World Wonder’ lets people experience this for themselves, in incredible Virtual Reality.” Source: Greatgreenwall.org
Make an Impact

TAKE ACTION! JOIN THE GREAT GREEN WALL MOVEMENT!

Growing an 8000km world wonder across Africa is not a foregone conclusion. 10 million hectares of degraded land need to be restored every year from now until 2030. We need collective action from global citizens around the world to help power this urgent movement, and create a unique and lasting legacy for all humanity.