Addressing the COP 27 climate change conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed said the actions being undertaken by his government to combat the negative impacts of climate change can inspire nations in Africa and beyond.
“Ethiopia’s climate-conscious actions, green legacy, food sovereignty, and green energy, hopefully, will promote regional diplomacy inspiring more nations on the continent and beyond. We have made rapid and significant progress in combating climate change through ambitious climate action and a green pathway for growth and prosperity in three key areas. These include afforestation, reforestation, and green legacy; ensuring food sovereignty; and transitioning to green energy,” he said.
“Four years into the Green Legacy Initiative’s implementation, we have planted 25 billion seedlings, which equates to 250 seedlings per Ethiopian. The impact could be equivalent to removing 64 million gasoline-powered vehicles from the road for an entire year.”
Aby stated that the Green Legacy Initiative is now the most extensive afforestation and reforestation program in the world, second only to the Amazon. “Ethiopia has also put over 700,000 hectares of existing biodiversity and carbon-rich natural forests under a sustainable participatory forest management scheme, in addition to tree planting afforestation and reforestation efforts.”
He noted that the Green Legacy has fostered a flourishing national green culture, tripling the number of nurseries to over 120,000, and seedlings have been shared with neighboring countries to strengthen regional cooperation for transboundary ecosystem management.
“Our Green Legacy Initiative will undoubtedly help to remove hundreds of millions of tons of Carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere and reduce deforestation, implying Ethiopia’s significant contribution to global climate change mitigation efforts.”
Abiy indicated that Ethiopia plans to restore an additional 22 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, building on its previous success.
“In addition, we are creating a green fund and will pursue carbon trading schemes to help raise additional funds. On the loss and damage, and building resilience through ascertaining food sovereignty: Despite the fact that Ethiopia is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, seasonal food insecurity is a persistent challenge,” he said.
“We have successfully demonstrated in recent years that it is possible to build resilience while also protecting people’s livelihoods. With the Green Legacy, 1 in 50 seedlings is set to improve food security and income generation. In addition, 500 million plants are fruit-bearing, producing Papayas, Mangoes, and Avocadoes.”
Ethiopia’s wheat production program has also been a success this year, according to Abiy. “During the dry season, the climate SMART irrigation system produced approximately 2.5 million tons of wheat. We intend to cultivate 2 million hectares during the dry season alone in 2023, paving the way for food self-sufficiency and wheat export the following year.”
Held discussions with leaders of several countries on bilateral and strategic issues alongside #COP27. I also met with leaders of continental and international organizations to discuss issues of mutual interest. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/BgV13Zfc0f
— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) November 7, 2022
“My government is committed to developing climate-resilient regenerative agriculture and food system transformations that will increase food production, promote health and nutrition, safeguard our valuable land and natural resources, and protect the most vulnerable communities,” he said.
He stated that on the green energy transition, Ethiopia seized the opportunity to capitalize on its substantial renewable energy potential. “The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is expected to be a vital source of energy for the country and region. Despite Ethiopia’s significant renewable energy potential and substantial generation and transmission infrastructure, the country’s electricity access rate remains below 50%.”
“We are working hard to diversify and expand the energy mix to include other renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, and solar, with the goal of achieving universal access by 2030 through on-grid and off-grid technologies,” Abiy said.
“In the spirit of advancing partnership and collaboration, Ethiopia has been exporting green energy sources to neighboring countries, demonstrating our commitment to connecting countries through the East African Power Pool’s emerging interconnected grid,” said Prime Minister Abiy.