Why Climate Change Adaptation Is Critical for Uganda Despite Low Ghg Emissions

Why climate change adaptation is critical for Uganda despite low GHG emissions?

Due to Uganda’s vulnerability to global warming and climate change impacts adaptation to climate change is critical to keep temperatures rising below 2 degrees by the end of the century.

The masses in Uganda rely on natural resources making the country vulnerable to impacts of climate change as it can affect agricultural livelihoods, human settlements, water, energy, health and disaster risk management.

I, like many other Ugandans don’t know how we are going to commit resources to climate change relevant strategies with a National budget of approximately 7 billion dollars and so many sectors still in need of attention so it is my genuine concern. However lets not lose heart as we have support of the international carbon market mechanisms and climate finance instruments.

The circumstances in Uganda make for a grim reading with an area of 240,000 km squared most of it covered by water and wetlands. A whole lot of politicking going with the coming presidential elections hence its more than likely financial aid given to Uganda to combat climate change will be diverted to cater to selfish interests. High population of approximately 35 million people with low per capita income of approximately 600 dollars which makes it a peasant nation that needs to transform to a more modern and prosperous nation.

Ugandans are mostly very vulnerable and very few respond to the agendas of climate change under the UNFCCC to which Uganda is an active participant.

Impacts of climate change facing Uganda today include:-

Changing weather patterns

Drop in water levels

Increased frequency of extreme weather events

Human activities such as deforestation

Climate change has affected a wide variety of sectors and the national budget has allocated so little to adaptation to climate change and if we do so little to adapt we will be facing temperature increases of up to 2 degrees within 50 years and up to 2.5 degrees within 80 years. The impacts would cost Uganda more than its current annual budget for the agriculture, water, energy and infrastructure sectors alone.