Building walls is a favorite political topic these days. Here’s a 5,000-mile wall that’s actually worth building. It’s a wall of trees running through eleven countries along the southern frontier of the Sahara Desert providing a barrier against the advancing desert. The Great Green Wall is focused on restoring 125 million acres of land, providing food security for 20 million people, creating 350,000 jobs, and sequestering 250 million tons of carbon. So far, 15 percent of the trees have been planted. But there are signs that the project needs to adjust its course to be more effective.
This article was originally published on September 23, 2016
