By Timothy Ebenezer Nsubuga
The New Vision published a news story on April 25, 2022 indicating that the Swedish government has teamed up with the Ministry of Water and Environment to conduct a nationwide consultation process aimed at stimulating an inclusive dialogue on climate change.
This effort is welcome as long as every stakeholder is involved in understanding the drivers and effects of climate change on our motherland, Uganda.
For example, the latest report of the round of climate talks that took place in Glasgow (United Kingdom) during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) found out that net-zero pledges could make a big difference. If fully implemented, these pledges could bring the predicted global temperature rise to 2.2°C, providing hope that further action could still head off the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. However, net-zero pledges are still vague, incomplete in many cases, and inconsistent with most 2030 NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions).
Currently in Uganda, the natural environment has greatly been affected by the human activities that have exacerbated the level of climate change and these include deforestation. For example, the Budongo and Bugoma Forest Reserves as well as several unofficial protected areas have succumbed to deforestation and at least 20% of the forest cover along the Kafu river in western Uganda has disappeared.
Moving on bush burning and swamp reclamation, this in turn has made the country experience the negative effects of climate change, and this can be clearly seen with the mudslides that have affected Bududa, the floods that affected Asese in 2020, and the ever increasing temperature.
Besides, climate change also has an impact on the health of people in Uganda and this is clearly seen when climate change increases the transmission of diseases like cholera, which is caused by floods, and malaria, which is exacerbated by ever increasing temperatures.
More steps must be taken to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on our country.
What can be done to reverse climate change?
Changing our mindset can be the first step we take as a country to combat climate change. This is basically achieved through accepting that climate change is real and also starting to look at the environment as a pedestal that supports human life in all its entirety. This, in the long run, helps people to make logical decisions such as planting trees and straying away from making wrong decisions like deforestation, which reduces the forest cover that absorbs greenhouse gases.
The government can model its construction programmes on environmentally friendly measures, and this is directly seen with the Entebbe express highway, where the natural environment was maintained despite the complexity of the project. This model of development can also be applied to the Albertian region, where oil facilities are constructed whilst putting in mind the natural environment that surrounds Lake Albert.
Next, Ugandans can resort to the use of clean energy sources like natural gas, which reduces the reliance on charcoal, which is obtained through deforestation.
Moving on, Ugandans can also get involved in the planting of trees to reverse the boomerang effects caused by climate change, in that once trees are planted, they play a major role in absorption in the greenhouse, and in the long run, the trees planted will provide clean and fresh air.
Next up, the government can also boost the awareness about climate change. This can be achieved through environmental talks, social media campaigns, plays and skits regarding climate change. This in turn will help change the minds of Ugandans and thus will create a society that looks at the environment as a key part of human life.
Subsequently, the government can also put up laws that prevent eco-terrorism activities like swamp reclamation in that these laws will protect the wetlands and swamps and thus their preservation.
Lastly, I believe it’s up to the young people to protect nature and the environment and actively have a hand in environmental conservation because they are the heirs of the future world and it will look bad if they inherit a country which has been greatly affected by the adverse effects of climate change.
