In March 2022, we completed a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) for tree planting in Addis Ababa. In response to environmental and climate stresses, the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, plans to plant 25 million trees over 5 years.
Since the 1980s, Addis Ababa has lost large amounts of vegetation as impervious surfaces have been expanded. This has created urban heat islands, made the city more susceptible to flooding, and removed a means of improving air quality. Climate change is expected to exacerbate heat and flooding, while air pollution has increased over the past 50 years and is projected to continue to worsen, therefore this tree planting initiative was proposed as a response to these environmental stresses. Part of the national Green Legacy Campaign, this project was launched by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed with the goal of planting 20 billion seedlings in urban and rural locations over 4 years.
In the assessment, we used spatial models to generate inputs for an integrated cost-benefit analysis and financial assessment. We show that planting trees generates value for society and can increase climate resilience. Specifically, we calculate the benefits of trees in terms of air quality, stormwater retention, ambient air temperatures, carbon storage, job creation, and fruit production under two climate scenarios. We also show that trees are a more feasible investment than grey infrastructure alternatives.
Read the full report here.