Conservationists decry lack of political will to safeguard environment
A section of Kyengera-Buddo-Masaka Road that sunk in following a heavy downpour on Sunday. Photo | Joseph Kiggundu
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- Mr Anthony Wolimbwa, the National Coordinator at the Climate Action Network Uganda said Uganda is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and the least prepared to respond.
As environmentalists in Uganda joined the rest of the world on Monday to commemorate World Earth Day, they have raised concerns over the lack of political will to conserve Mother Nature.
Mr Anthony Wolimbwa, the National Coordinator at the Climate Action Network Uganda said Uganda is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change and the least prepared to respond.
“We have been advocating for strengthening the conservation objective and we have been arguing that it is safer and more profitable to conserve wetlands and forests because they are critical pillars of the economy. But the people who make our policies are more hell-bent on promoting the investment objective against the conservation,” he observed.
He noted that although President Museveni has been a climate change ambassador, he still contradicts himself by allowing investors to set up factories in wetlands and forests in the name of creating more jobs.
Mr Wolimbwa said that climate change is not just an environmental issue but a matter of justice, adding that vulnerable communities including low-income populations, small-holder women farmers and indigenous people feel the consequences of climate change despite contributing the least to its cause.
“I still think that there is a need to shift the thinking of the political class, to move away from the wrong economics to supporting an integrated approach which involves consideration of conservation of resources which can support much sought-after economic growth,” he further noted.
Mr Gaster Kiyinga, the leader at Tree Talk Plus also contested the merger of the National Forestry Authority saying that it is an autonomous entity that was put in place to protect the environment and should be maintained.
Last week, the Members of parliament opposed the government’s proposal to merge the National Forestry Authority with its mother Ministry of Water and Environment describing it as a critical agency helping the country to address environmental issues.
