Ethiopia, the second most-populous country in Africa, is trying to create a green culture to win the fight against climate change, the country’s Prime Minister has said. At Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Abiy Ahmed said his country was one of the most vulnerable to climate change, but it was “doing its part” to mitigate the effects. He said green jobs had been created across the country through different environmental initiatives. “We are committed to living in a sustainable and climate-resilient Ethiopia for the new generation,” said PM Abiy Ahmed. “Doing so entails taking bold action now and instilling a green culture as we go along.”
Ethiopia’s Green Legacy initiative has helped create more than 750,000 jobs — mostly for women and young people — since 2018. The initiative has helped plant 25 billion seedlings within four years, equal to removing 64 million gasoline-powered cars from the road for one year. “The Green Legacy initiative, therefore, is our bold action, which has created national awareness on climate change and enabled the creation of green jobs and is making a positive impact on our surrounding environment,” said Mr Ahmed. “Our initiative will certainly contribute towards removing the equivalent of hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce deforestation.”
Despite Africa’s vulnerability to climate change, as a region it contributes the least amount of emissions. The State of the Climate in Africa 2021 report showed that rainfall patterns are being disrupted across the continent, glaciers are disappearing, and key lakes are shrinking. Plus rising water demand, combined with limited and unpredictable supplies, could intensify conflict and displacement. “Although we are at the mercy of high emitters, we are nevertheless committed to do our part,” said Mr Ahmed. “In this regard, Ethiopia has developed its long-term net-zero and climate-resilient 2050 strategy, which will enhance our ability to plan for decarbonisation of the economy.”
Source: www.thenationalnews.com