Growing the Next World Wonder

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 074

Growing the Next World Wonder

Unless you are particularly interested in Earth’s history, most people do not think in terms of a geological time scale. This is because geological time is measured in eons, eras, periods, epochs and ages. This corresponds to anything from 1 billion years to millions. 

But due to our lifespan we only relate to a human time scale, which is centuries, decades or less. In fact civilization as we know it is thought to have been around for only 6,000 years. Yet the changes that we have made to the planet during that time is the very reason we need projects such as the Great Green Wall. So, it you want to hear about this epoch project, then stayed tuned and listen to this episode which is called Growing the Next World Wonder. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainably Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E 74 which is called Growing the Next World Wonder.

Before we get started I just wanted to say that if you have questions, comments, or suggestions about the content that I produce, or if I can help my listeners in any way, feel free to you contact me at the email address associated with this podcast which is [email protected], again that is [email protected]. 

Okay, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of this episode. 

I want to accomplish several things in this episode. So, what I want to do is this:

-Background information to set the stage and give you a perspective as to why this project, The Great Green Wall is so important. 

-Explain the scope of this project

-The effects and end results of this project

-Lessons to be learned

As I stated before humanity tends to think in terms of a human time scale, which is measured in centuries, decades, or less. But it is estimated that the Earth is about 4.6 billions years old. It is thought that humans have been around on the planet for only 200,000 years. However, civilization as we know it has only been around for about 6,000 years.

Now to be more specific, the term civilization describes a complex way of life that came about when people started to develop networks between urban settlements. This all came about due to the rise of agriculture and trade which allowed people to have surplus food and some form of economic stability. This also meant that many people no longer had to practice farming, which in turn allowed a diverse array of professions and interests to develop and flourish in a relatively confined area. 

As a result of all of this, and a couple thousands years, we have our modern civilization that we are most familiar with today which is organized into small communities, towns, and large cities.  And in many ways that has been a good thing. Indeed, if it were not for modern civilization, and our modern educational system, I certainly would not have the career that I do. 

But, there is one thing I want you to start thinking about and this will help you realize why projects such as the Great Green Wall are important. 

First consider the amount of time that humans have been on this planet, which is about 200,000 years. Now increase that by 23,000 times over and you get the approximate age of the Earth. So, our time on this planet is a tiny spec, literally a blink of the eye on a geological time scale. Yet during that time we have caused such extensive changes on this planet that the full recovery of such is not measurable in the human time scale. If we humans completely vanished tomorrow, the time needed for this planet to recovery would be tens of thousands of years if not hundreds of thousands of years or even longer. 

I truly got to thinking about this a couple of times recently because of things I’ve read. For example, according to NASA human caused climate change is happening now, is irreversible in the time scale of people alive today and will worsen in years to come. 

Another example: On a global scale over 50% of the coral reefs have died in the last 30 years. It can take a coral reef up to 10,000 years to form from a group of larvae. Depending on their size, barrier reefs and atolls can take from 100,000 to 30 million years to form. 

Rains forest cover only about 6% of the Earths surface. Yet they are home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species. Rain forests are Earth’s oldest living ecosystems and some of these forests have survived in their present form for at least 70 million years. Yet at our present rate of consumption, we will no longer have rain forests by the year 2100. 

There are old growth beds of sea grass off the coast of Spain that have been present for over 100,000 years. 

There are yucca plants in the Mojave Desert that have been around for 12,000 years. 

Some bristle cone pines are as much as 5,000 years old. 

So, as you can see, there are many things on this planet that have been damaged, degraded, or completely destroyed that are irreplaceable on a human time scale. The closet thing is perhaps an old growth tree, which is considered “old growth” once it is over 120 years. Yet I’ve personally witnessed 300 plus year old trees being cut down just to put in someones driveway. To give you a perspective on that time scale, those trees were little sprouts about the time and U.S. government was negotiating the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France. 

My point being, and I want to emphasize this, in the smallest fraction of time, geologically speaking, human activity has destroyed many things on this planet that we will never see replaced in this generation, or the next, or the next, or the next, or the next. This is because this kind of damage can be repaired only on a geologic time scale. But unless we put the brakes on, unless we change what we are doing, unless we make a U-turn and reach for something far more sustainable it is only going to get worse. 

But you see most people are resistant to change, even if they know it is for their own good. More often than not it can literally take decades to make any sort of meaningful change in the underlying behavior of a society. But it is possible and sometimes all it takes is for someone to stand up, speak out, and make a bold move. 

Such is the case with Finland’s ministry of trade and development that in 2016 decided to ban the use of coal. And the ministry stated, “This has required a total shift in our thinking of what could and what should be the sources of our energy.”  

I think that in the United States a good portion of the time we are still so insulted from most of the affects of what is going on in the world. Consequently, it is still easy for so many of us to go along in our take-make-dispose society and pretend as if nothing is happening. 

But that is not the case in Africa. Because much of the African continent is facing some very real and emergent problems. 

The African continent has a population of approximately 1.4 billion people. Presently, approximately 46% of African land is degraded. This jeopardizes the livelihoods of nearly two-thirds of the population of Africa. Presently, about 24% of the population of the African continent are undernourished and nearly 20 million people are on the verge of starvation. It is anticipated that millions of people will migrate to other regions of the continent, or even leave Africa altogether due to environmental degradation. 

But how did this happen? 

It is because of an increase in desertification? What that means is that previously arable land, land that can be farmed, or land that is suitable for human habitation, turns to desert. Although there is some discussion over the true meaning of desertification, most scientist are beginning to say this means a reduction in productivity of the land that is not reversible. This means that once the land turns to desert it can no longer support the same plant growth it had in the past. Furthermore, that change is permanent on a human time scale. Once again, we find ourselves looking at environmental recovery that will occur on a geological time scale. 

What causes this is over grazing, poor farming practices, deforestation, use of fertilizers and pesticides, build up of salt in irrigated soils, topsoil erosion, climate change and decreased rainfall, over use of ground water,  and drought. According to the United Nations, about 12 million hectares of arable land, which is roughly 30 million acres are lost annually.

But this epoch project called the Great Green Wall is setting the stage to change all of that. The Great Green Wall is an example of what can be done to overcome the greatest threat to humanity, which is the degradation of our environment. The Great Green Wall is truly a compelling display of what it will take too over come climate change, drought, famine, conflict, and climate migration that is such a threat to our global community.  

The Great Green Wall is actually an African led movement with the enormous ambition to grow an 8,000 km green wall across the entire width of the African continent. It is a massive reforestation project that will extend across the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Now just for the sake of comparison, the Sahara Desert roughly encompasses 1/3 of the African continent and is about 3.5 million square miles, or 9.4 million square kilometers. That is roughly the size of the United States including Alaska and Hawaii. The problem is that the Sahara Desert has increased in size by 10% since 1920, which is an increase of 350,000 square miles. 

Now the amazing part of this project is that once it is complete, the Great Green Wall will be the largest living structure on the planet, and will be 3 times larger than the Great Barrier Reef. 

This epic project was initiated in 2007 and is presently about 15% complete. It has now gained widespread support from over 20 African countries. What is interesting is that only 4% of the worlds’ greenhouse gas emissions originates from the African continent yet 65% of the population faces the consequences of drought, climate change, desertification as well as other issues brought on by global warming. What is amazing is that all of this is happening despite the fact that Africa has some of the poorest   people on the planet. 

What is perhaps even more amazing is the international attention this project has garnered. It has now received international support to the tune of 8 billion dollars. 

Despite the fact that the project is only 15% complete, Ethiopia has restored 15 million hectares of degraded land, which is about 37 million acres. In fact, Ethiopia beat the world record for tree planting. In 12 hours, these people planted 350 million tree saplings. 

Additionally, Senegal has planted 11.4 million trees  and restored 25 million hectares of land, so about 61.7 million acres. Nigeria has restored 5 million hectares of land, or about 12.3 million acres. And other smaller countries have still managed to plant millions of saplings. 

But the benefits of this project reaches so much further than just preventing the spreading of the Sahara desert. It is so much more than just growing trees. 

-It also increases the production of fertile land, which is quickly becoming one of humanities most precious natural assets. 

-This project is bringing back sustainable agroforestry practices so that the land is more resilient to climate change. 

-Due to reforestation it is helping to protect the local water supply

-It will inevitably produce food security for millions of people, a lot of which are some of the poorest people in the world. 

-It is producing local economic security by the creation of jobs, giving support to local small businesses through developing vital partnerships and by offering commercial investment opportunities 

-In the end, it will offer people hope and prevent climate migration by giving people a reason to stay.  

In some of my previous episodes, I have talked about the greening of an economy. What this refers to is the shift toward renewable energy sources that several nations have taken, the resultant advancement in important technologies, the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, and consequently the stabilization of an economy. 

Well, the Great Green Wall is the greening on the economy in a very literal sense. 

Now the initial goal of this project was to literally plant a row of trees 15 km wide across the entire African continent at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. But what it has evolved into is a mosaic of sustainable farming practices which has increased the density of tree and vegetation cover. This has in turn strengthened the natural ecosystem of the region. It has protected rural heritage and improved local living conditions.  People on the African continent are on the frontlines of climate change more than anyone else on this planet. And they are now working to change that.  

So, let’s just do a quick recap of what has been covered because I think it is important to emphasize a couple of things. 

-First of all during the brief time that humans have been on this planet we have produced changes that are irreversible on a human time scale. Improvement can happen but that will be on a geological time scale. 

-The folks on the African continent, more than anyone else on this planet, are at the front lines of those changes. 

-Many of those changes have occurred due to over grazing, poor farming practices, deforestation, use of fertilizers and pesticides, build up of salt in irrigated soils, topsoil erosion, climate change, decreased rainfall, over use of ground water,  and drought.

-This culture is facing a very real crisis and they have responded by starting this massive project called the Great Green Wall. As a result the local ecosystems are stabilizing, it has produced economic security and prevented climate migration. 

Now let’s bring this home to our own continent and examine what we are doing. Let’s take a look at our own actions, our own culture, and how we respond to things. 

Most of us are good at responding to a perceived emergency especially if it is life threatening. If flood waters are rising, we run away. If a hurricane is approaching we evacuate. If a tornado is looming, we head to the basement. If a major snow storm is in the forecast, we stock up on extra supplies. In other words, we make a bold immediate change in our behavior in order to save our hides.

The challenge we have is that the end result of our take-make-dispose culture creates environmental issues that are far removed from our everyday lives. Due to this we perceive no immediate threat. Consequently, we find little or no reason to change what we are doing and we continue along in our take-make-dispose society and pretend as if nothing is happening.

For example, when it comes to our looming water crisis, the biggest portion of our population is oblivious to what is happening. This is partially because such problems, at this point in time, tend to be highly regionalized and still does not affect the vast majority of the population. 

But you would never think that the state of Florida would actually run out of drinking water. However, the majority of fresh drinking water in Florida is supplied by the Florida Aquifer. Presently 75% of the state is now either completely out of fresh drinking water or is running dangerously low. Water is still being pumped out of the aquifer because this costs far less than desalination or filtering run off or waste water from homes and businesses. Yet the continued pumping of water out of this aquifer is causing salt water intrusion and contamination. All that most people know is that they turn on the facet and fresh water still comes out. Obviously reversing this process will require some bold action. People will have to completely change their behavior and daily habits.

Another example is our food supply and farming practices. The United States is by far one of the most productive countries in the world when it comes to corn production. But the U.S. is also one of the world’s largest users of fertilizers. Generally with repeated farming of the same area soil fertility declines over time. These unsustainable farming practices result in the loss of vital nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Farmers tend to offset the loss of these important nutrients with the use of fertilizers. 

This additional use of fertilizers cost U.S. farmers nearly half a billion dollars a year. But that is not the only cost. Excess phosphorus and nitrogen runs off the fields and into rivers and lakes. Eventually this damages the ecosystems downstream and is responsible for what is known as the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. It is called the Dead Zone because oxygen levels are too low to support life. Fish either die or they move to another area. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now estimates the Dead Zone to be approximately 6,334 square miles which is the equivalent to four million acres of habitat. 

But again, we are so far removed from this problem that we tend to not know about it or we just ignore it because it does not affect our everyday lives. We go to the supermarket and food is still there.   

But, this is the type of issue to which I am referring that will require some bold initiatives before such a thing becomes an emergent problem. Because when you are out of milk you just simply go to the supermarket and get more milk. But when an entire nation is running low on food it’s not as if that problem can be solved by a quick trip to the field to pick more corn. Or when two of the nation’s largest fresh water reservoirs are now at 25% capacity, and more than 40 million people depend on that water, you can’t just go out and drill another well. 

In many respects crisis is looming and yet no one steps up to say anything because no one actually perceives it as an immediate threat. But so much more is possible because we have the knowledge and technology to reverse many of the changes occurring in the natural world that are the result of our human behavior.

Now there are several big lesson to be learned here. And these should get our undivided attention. 

-The underlying reason that the Great Green Wall project is needed in the first place is because of unsustainable practices  such as the reduction of vegetation and desertification mostly due to overuse and mismanagement of arable land and rampant deforestation.

-Much of the developed world is continuing down that same path of unsustainable practices. And I have given several examples of that even in the United States. 

-We should be using the Great Green Wall as a scientific learning platform. Not only that but it is a global example of the land and environmental initiatives that we should be pursuing. Such projects reverse land degradation, promotes sustainable farming practices, addresses food insecurity, biodiversity loss, and fosters beneficial relationships between countries. 

- The Great Green Wall even addresses social issues and fosters sustainable relationships and mutual cooperation between countries. Perhaps we should take note of this especially in the United States. Instead of building walls between countries maybe we should be building more green walls in order to promote sustainability and improved international relationships. 

-Such things will require a total shift in our thinking much the same as was stated by Finland’s ministry of trade and development when they decide to ban the use of coal. And to repeat that quote,“This has required a total shift in our thinking of what could and what should be the sources of our energy.”

I do find it rather interesting that the initial development of civilization, which resulted from the rise of agriculture, urban networks, trade, and the specialization of skills, is the very thing that is now going to result in our downfall if we do not focus on something more sustainable. 

The Great Green Wall is truly a global example of what humanity is capable of if we put our minds to it. Furthermore, the Great Green Wall is a prime example of a project that supports the three pillars of sustainability, which is people, planet, and profits. 

And one last thing in closing. Whether we like it or not, it is possible for humanity to make bold and immediate changes to improve our sustainable practices, even in our everyday lives. Over the past 2 years, there have been two separate, unrelated things that have completely reordered the world economy and international relationships in a short period of time. That being the COVID pandemic and now the war in Ukraine. It is almost unsettling just how much our world can change almost overnight. 

That said, I truly believe that the best way to protect and insulate ourselves from such rapid changes is to have a lifestyle that is as self sufficient and sustainable as we can make it. But, it will require a total shift in our thinking of what could and what should be the focus of our lives. Because sustainability should in fact define our very existence. 

Now in closing this episode, I would like to remind you that if you have questions, comments, or suggestions on the content that I produce, you can contact me at the email associated with this podcast, which is [email protected]. 

I would like to end this episode with a quote from Steve Jobs. He once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. 

This is your host Patrick signing off until next week. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future. 

Patrick