Ethiopia's Green Legacy: A Pragmatic Climate Strategy worth Emulating

By Bereket Sisay

Addis Ababa, July 13, 2025 (ENA) --The recent devastating flash floods that hit Central Texas in the U.S., resulting in the deaths of over 120 individuals, alongside the recent flooding incidents in China, Pakistan, and South Africa, as well as the extensive wildfires and heat waves that impacted France and other regions of Europe, serve as a stark reminder of the severity of climate change and the perilous path the world is on towards an even greater climate disaster. Due to huge alterations in temperature and climate patterns, the effects of climate change have evolved, and become more increasingly concerning and pronounced. This shift has led to significant costs associated with damage to human lives and property. Furthermore, it has jeopardized the resilience of future capabilities.

This challenge is by far grimmer in eastern Africa, particularly horn Africa, where vulnerable to climate-related disasters is very high due to its dependence on rain-fed agriculture and its limited capacity to adapt. As per the 2024 report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Horn of Africa has faced numerous climate-related disasters since 2010. This catastrophe poses a threat to agriculture, water supplies, and public health while increasing the suffering of the population and obstructing socio-economic development of the region. More importantly, environmental degradation has sternly diminishes the region's ability to cope with severe weather events. Additionally, these occurrences are intensified by fundamental social factors like deforestation, migration, and land degradation.

The challenging circumstances of the region, coupled with increasing vulnerability, prompted Ethiopia to launch the Green Legacy Initiative in 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The initiative seeks to address deforestation, land degradation, and climate change, while also restoring damaged landscapes, enhancing biodiversity, generating employment opportunities, and improving socio-economic conditions.  

The initiative, which is founded on the concept of homegrown solution to climate calamity, is closely aligned with national priorities, such as Ethiopia's Climate Resilient Green Economy strategy and the National Adaptation Plan, as part of a collective approach to address disasters resulting from climate change in the region. The initiative since it started, it has been undertaken billions of tree planting activities every year while participating millions of Ethiopian with a primary goal of enhancing the nation’s forest coverage.   

In this regard, the initiative has already yielded tangible benefits, increasing the country's forest coverage from approximately 17% to 23% through ongoing tree planting activities, and has successfully registered over 42 billion seedlings to date. The western Harerge zone of the Oromia Regional State is an example of how the initiative has restored degraded land through afforestation and the revival of water pools. Individuals and government representatives from this particular place provided testimony regarding the initiative's capacity to revitalize the area through greening efforts, drawing comparisons between the present circumstances and those of the past.

In addition, because of the enhancement of environmental consciousness among the general public through green legacy initiative,  The Ethiopian Forestry Development data indicates that the nation’s annual deforestation rate decreased from an estimated 38,000 hectares seven years ago to 27,703 hectares last year, and is continuing to decrease. Consequently, this initiative greatly aids the nation in carbon sequestration by enhancing forest coverage, rehabilitating ecosystems, and boosting the ability to absorb and retain atmospheric carbon dioxide. In addition to helping to lower Ethiopia's carbon footprint, this forest coverage enhances the public health performance index by supplying quality air to the nearby region. The initiative has also effectively restored the ecosystem by reintroducing indigenous trees that had suffered greatly due to poor soil quality, inadequate soil conservation methods, and various forms of mismanagement. As a result, the flora contents of the nation including indigenous trees have now been recovered sufficiently. 

This initiative holds significant importance for various reasons, one of which is its successful contribution to the pursuit of food sovereignty. This is primarily linked to the organic cultivation of trees, which enhances soil fertility and water retention, thus fostering sustainable agricultural practices. Moreover, it boosts productivity by encouraging the growth of fruit-bearing trees and agroforestry methods. Thus, the initiative has yielded impressive outcomes, increasing agricultural productivity in numerous regions across the country. Small-scale farmers, especially those located in rain-scarce and lowland areas are now reaping the benefits of agroforestry through the Green Legacy Initiative. As a result of heightened productivity, their livelihoods have markedly improved in terms of income and dietary diversity. Their transformative lifestyle, which has ushered in the green legacy, has indeed heralded a new era in their agriculture-based living pursuits. In addition to its direct contributions, the initiative has also generated job opportunities for nearly a million individuals throughout the agroforestry value chains, thereby enhancing community economic resilience.

The Ethiopian Green Legacy, which allocates 0.5% to 1% of its annual federal budget, has beneficial effects that extend beyond Ethiopia to neighboring countries and the broader Horn region. Consequently, Ethiopia is trying to share its expertise with surrounding countries by distributing seedlings and sharing its experiences. This initiative aims to foster partnerships and collaborations that enhance regional cooperation in climate adaptation and environmental restoration because this endeavor requires collective efforts. Meanwhile, the project has evolved into a flagship initiative for IGAD, setting an example for other member states in their fight against climate change. Furthermore, the initiative is part of a larger regional effort associated with the African Union's Great Green Wall project, which aims to combat desertification in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

After examining the growing impacts of the Green Legacy initiative and considering how it can serve as a model for other African countries, I would like to share what former AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Josefa Sacko told me during my interview with her two years ago: "Many other countries should come and see this program in Ethiopia and learn from it. That is the advantage of being in this AU platform—knowledge sharing. We need to share knowledge. As commissioner in this area, I will always say that all other countries should embrace what Ethiopia is doing and follow its example.”

Her statement further reinforces Ethiopia's commitment to a sustainable future, which is now extending beyond its borders and becoming a regional initiative. Ethiopia has been working tirelessly to encourage other African countries to start their own versions of this initiative and increase its impact. That’s why the Ethiopian prime minister has been urging other African countries to join hands in this comprehensive approach against climate disaster. During the launch ceremony of this year's Green Legacy Initiative, which aimed to plant 7.5 billion tree seedlings, Prime Minister Abiy once again emphasized the initiative's valuable lessons for other African countries. For Abiy, these lessons extend beyond environmental sustainability and achieving food self-sufficiency to include supporting others.

Echoing Abiy's remarks, Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, who attended this year's Green Legacy Initiative, called on fellow Africans to follow Ethiopia's lead, as the initiative is an inclusive, impactful, and visionary model for addressing climate change.

Nigeria is drawing inspiration from Ethiopia's experience and advancing this agenda, which has significant implications for enhancing the green legacy initiative and making a substantial contribution to addressing the impending climate-related crisis. This is not only relevant for Africa, but for the entire world as well.

Data indicates that the planet is heating up at an unparalleled pace, with 2024 already recorded as the hottest year to date. In spite of some advancement, the global community is not on course to achieve the objectives set forth in the Paris climate agreement, which seeks to maintain the average increase in surface temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Nevertheless, projections suggest that the planet is on a path to experience a temperature increase ranging from 2.6 to 3.1°C above pre-industrial levels by the year 2100. Besides its detrimental effects and associated losses and damages, climate change is responsible for pushing an estimated 26 million individuals into poverty annually due to extreme weather phenomena and natural calamities, as reported by recent World Bank statistics. Consequently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommends that “the magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages escalate with every increment of global warming”

This has prompted nations, especially those in Africa, to focus on reversing negative trends and to implement climate adaptation programs through utilizing locally developed solutions. This necessity arises from the fact that African nations are unable to self-finance or receive the essential climate finance required to support various climate adaptation initiatives and projects aimed at a just transition. Furthermore, the $100 billion pledged by developed nations for climate compensation to developing countries, intended to address loss and damage, has not been delivered effectively. Even the available funds are not reaching those most in need. Thus, it is essential for African nations to adopt the strategies that Ethiopia is employing (Green Legacy) to enhance their efforts against climate change and to contribute to sustainable development, as this initiative is better tailored to the local context. Failing to take such actions risks an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, which could exacerbate the existing socio-economic challenges on the continent, significantly hindering Africa's progress toward achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and its continental blueprint, Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.