One
Good Wall
For
the last two weeks, I’ve had a gnawing anxiety
in my chest that I’m sure a lot of readers here
are familiar with. The election, the climate,
the too-soon dusks of November — none of these
are working in my favor right now. In times like
these, though, I work extra hard not to get
down. It’s not easy, but this time of year I’m
always kind to myself, and I try to find
inspiration wherever I can get it.
But
it was with some surprise that I found
inspiration while looking over the UN’s reports
on this year’s global climate meeting, COP29.
I’ll admit that this is not where I typically
look for silver linings. The world is far behind
its climate goals, and the climate doesn’t give
it whit. Physics being what it is, the planet
will keep reacting to greenhouse gases, no
matter what promises are made or broken by the
humans running around on its surface.
But
actions do matter (sometimes regardless of the
outcome), and I was heartened to see a long-term
initiative underway in Africa, the Great Green
Wall. Launched in 2007, the endeavor, which
spans 11 countries and involves even more, aims
to put a swath of trees and other plants across
the Sahel. Through an “integrated landscape
approach,” each country is trying to alleviate
land degradation while undertaking climate
change and conservation measures. The goal is to
rehabilitate 100 million hectares of land,
capturing 250 million tons of carbon along the
way.
Inna
Modja, a Malian-French climate activist,
describes it as a potential solution to “a whole
lot of problems.” And she thinks it can be done,
with the kind of optimism I need. “My belief in
this ambitious and really gigantic project
relies in [sic] my belief in people,” she says.
“We don’t want the planet to stay like this. We
are really willing to fight for it. So I invite
women, leaders, and everybody to come together,
and we will make it.”
Will
that wall get built? I don’t know. Stranger
walls have been raised. That’s less important to
me right now than knowing that beyond the bounds
of the United States, the world is moving
forward. Even now, I choose to believe, as so
many others do, that a greener future is not
only possible but
damn-near inevitable.
With or without
us. |
