Target: Mostafa Kamal Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt
Goal: Give go-ahead to planned regreening of Sinai Peninsula.
Many of the world’s most prominent deserts did not come by their condition naturally. Rather, they were gradually created by human overuse of once-vibrant lands. China’s Loess Plateau was one such example, until an ambitious regreening project re-draped the land in green and restored ecosystems once thought lost. Now, a team of forward-thinking Dutch engineers wants to bring the same environmental transformation to the desert landscape that connects Asia and Africa: the Sinai Peninsula.
Dried-up rivers discovered along the peninsula suggest the region once teemed with vegetation and wildlife. But continued exploitation eventually eroded soil and dried up the land. Subsequent climate patterns have contributed to extreme weather events from the surrounding Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.
The plan to regreen the Sinai would include decisive actions such as pollution reduction, creation of wildlife habitats, sustainable fishing practices, and large-scale planting of trees and shrubbery. This effort would address the concerns of critics that planted vegetation would be invasive or unsuitable for survival by launching careful studies ensuring each added piece of vegetation would be well-adapted and native to the region. Positive results would yield benefits for food security, for mitigation of extreme weather, for ecosystem growth, and much more. But investment in these long-term benefits must be robust, as the plan will face major challenges, like water availability and soil enrichment.
The Egyptian government has agreed to help fund and kickstart the beginning stages of this endeavor, but a promised beginning has been delayed. Sign the petition below to urge these leaders to get the ball rolling on a project that could revitalize Egypt and, perhaps, the entire world.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prime Minister Madbouly,
The proposed Sinai Peninsula regreening project could bring enormous gains to Egypt and provide real-world solutions to issues like food insecurity, habitat loss, and climate-induced extreme weather. But these benefits will take time and investment. In 2022, Egypt vowed to make this investment, beginning with Lake Bardawil’s restoration. Regional conflicts and other circumstances have stalled this initiative, and now is the time to push forward.
Help Egypt realize its potential as a visionary and leader in the battle against global desertification and climate change.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Wilson44691
124 Signatures