Invest in climate literacy to build sustainable communities
What you need to know:
- Limited awareness of Ugandans about the climate crisis and its impact on their life and livelihoods makes it less likely for them to support or demand climate-friendly policies from their leaders.
Most Ugandans have felt the impacts of climate change today as 2025 is being recorded as one of the hottest years with some areas recording temperatures as high as 40°C.
“It does not rain like it used to" has become a common saying in our daily interactions. But do most Ugandans understand why this is the case? There has been an increasing change in rainfall patterns as the rain has become more erratic with increasing dry spells and more intense down pours. This disrupts agricultural production and increases the risks of both droughts and floods.
Climate change is as a result of human activities and not natural circumstances. We always hear things like it is God's plan that this is happening which might not necessarily be the case. The desire to make our lives easier is slowly destroying us and the environment. This is from cooking to industrialisation. Burning of waste is one of the commonly used waste management techniques in the low income areas in Uganda manage due to lack of consistent and reliable waste management systems.
This improper waste disposal, including the burning of waste, releases methane and other greenhouse gases which is the main contributor of the climate change effect with time. According to Esther, a trader in the suburbs of Kampala" I burn my garbage because reliance on waste management collectors is an unnecessary expenditure. I collect a full sack of garbage in a week, paying Shs7,000 a week is equivalent to a Shs30, 000 monthly loss.
Others rely on individual garbage collectors in the community that charge Shs2,000 to Shs3,000 that is considered relatively cheaper. These resort to either burying the garbage or disposing it in bushes, wetlands or private residential areas. The improper waste burial poses both health and environmental risks like soil and water pollution as certain types of waste like electronics and batteries contain toxic chemicals that leach into soil over time.
This practice, coupled with other activities like charcoal burning, open defecation, industrial production and processes, particularly those involving the burning of fossil fuels, release significant amounts of greenhouse gases.
While Uganda's per capita emissions are relatively low compared to developed countries, these activities collectively contribute to the global climate change challenge. This is because the effects of climate change in one area are felt in other areas with time as the earth is a globalized entity.
The Uganda National Bureau of Statistics reports that Uganda has a population of over 45 million people according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census with an increase of 11.3 million persons from the 2014 census. This trend of increase in population requires us to be intentional about our future through sustainable practices. Climate illiteracy among the population can significantly fuel climate change in Uganda through continued practice of unsustainable practices like deforestation, excessive fossil fuel use, and inefficient waste management as they don't understand the causes and consequences of climate change, they are less likely to make informed decisions that mitigate its effects.
Additionally, limited awareness of Ugandans about the climate crisis and its impact on their life and livelihoods makes it less likely for them to support or demand climate-friendly policies from their leaders. It can also make people susceptible to misinformation and denial about climate change which can perpetuate traditional practices that contribute to climate change, such as slash-and-burn agriculture or reliance on polluting energy sources.
This shows the urgent need for climate literacy for majority of Ugandans. Addressing climate illiteracy through education and awareness campaigns is crucial to empowering communities to make informed choices and take action to mitigate and adapt to climate change in Uganda.
A preferred form of learning by grassroots Ugandans is through interpersonal communication. According to Twaweza Uganda (2024), word of mouth is the main form of access to information amongst the majority of Ugandans.
This can be practiced through establishing community centers where people can access information and resources about climate change, training community leaders and members to become climate change ambassadors who can provide information and inspire action amongst their peers.
Community media like community radio and community audio towers can be leveraged on to maximize impact. Similarly, policy makers should establish proper waste management systems to create an enabling environment for proper waste management practices amongst Ugandans.
Whitney Najjuka, [email protected] Makerere University
