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20 countries agreed to plant trees across an entire continent to save the land beneath them. That's what cooperation looks like.The Great Green Wall is one of the most ambitious environmental projects on Earth. Launched in 2007 by the African Union, the initiative aims to plant and restore a belt of trees and vegetation stretching 8,000 kilometers across Africa, from Senegal on the Atlantic coast to Djibouti on the Red Sea. More than 20 countries are involved. The goal is to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and create millions of jobs in the process.The project was designed to combat desertification in the Sahel, the semi-arid region just south of the Sahara that has been losing fertile land for decades. Droughts, deforestation, and overgrazing have pushed the desert further south, displacing communities and destroying farmland. The wall of trees is meant to reverse that.As of recent reporting, roughly 18 percent of the restoration target has been achieved, with over $14 billion in funding pledged.