Govt should do more to tackle climate change

On the evening of May 2, landslides and stone debris covered a section of the Kabale-Mbarara Highway around the Kabaraga Hills at Karubanda Village in Kyanamira Sub-county of Kabale District, paralysing traffic flow for hours.

The incident occurred at around 6pm, following a downpour that lasted about seven hours. The affected road section is about 5km from Kabale Town.

Over the weekend, this newspaper reported that at least 1,600 vendors and families were stranded in Jinja City. Rising water levels of Lake Victoria, it was reported, have submerged markets, homes, roads, borehole, and washing bays, among others at Masese Landing Site in Jinja City.

Ugandans have become accustomed to such stories that have been attributed to extreme weather events caused by climate change. Stories of floods, landslides, and prolonged drought have become part of the newscasts on local and national media.

To help Ugandans adjust and adopt to the new life in the era of climate change, the European Union, in collaboration with DANIDA, this week announced a Shs90 billion investment in two green-focused programmes under the Agricultural Business Initiative.

These programme aims to drive inclusive economic transformation and combat climate change caused by human activities that are not in line with the green agenda.

“The investment will support the green transformation of the agricultural sector and provide assistance for adaptation to the climate change that is already happening,” Ms Signe Winding Alberjerg, the Danish Ambassador to Uganda, said.

It is good news in the ears of many Ugandans that development partners are coming to the aid of the needy. But building climate resilience will require concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including government and the citizenry.

A 2022 Afrobarometer report said among Ugandans familiar with climate change, eight in 10 (80 percent) want government to take immediate action to limit climate change, even if it is expensive, causes job losses, or takes a toll on the economy.

The report also said six in 10 (59 percent) say government is doing a poor job of addressing climate change.

With majority of Ugandans thinking extreme weather conditions have become more severe in the last decade, it is high time government did more in the climate adaptation front.

At the Copenhagen COP 15 negotiations, developed countries promised to mobilise $100b annually by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. African leaders need to unite and demand for this money.

Majority of farmers in Uganda rely on rainfall to grow crops for both income and food, our leaders need to ensure our food security in the face of changing and unreliable weather patterns.

Government needs to do more to protect our wetlands and forest reserves. Those encroaching on the environment must be punished according to the law.

Finally, we need to increase tax-based measures and subsidies to boost renewable energy adoption.