By Guest Writer
Editor, for the two nation address by president Museveni has been very good because they were focusing on how to mitigate the increased negative impacts of the climate change in the country.
When the president’s strategies such as introduction of electric cars and huge investment in Africa energy implemented well without any politic, the climate change will be a history in Uganda.
The president’s strategies should not be political because many people are losing their lives and property as result of the climate change occurring in the different parts of the country.
Recently the media have been reporting a lot about the districts grappling with the climate change across the country for instance Rakai, Butambala, Kasese, Karamoja sub region, Mbale and others.
The climate change in the country needs immediate attention in order to avoid the wastage of tax payer’s money that is being used to help the affected people.
It is noted that a lot of money that could be used to develop others sectors such as tourism sector, agriculture, renewable energy and others are turned to help the victims of floods, landslides and those ones with shortage of food due to a lot of sunshine which leads to the drying up of their crops.
The president plus his cabinet ministers, Member of parliament and other relevant stakeholders should implement the following strategies to ensure that there is strong climate change actions implemented in orders to reduce the increased negative impacts of the climate change in the country and wastage of tax payers money.
The strategies include:
Immediate cancelation of all land titles and certificates of people and investors carrying out the human activities in the critical eco-systems like the forests and the wetlands. This will help to reduce on the loss of lives by people and property, reduce animal conflicts and others.
Investing much in renewable energy which is also known as Africa energy such solar, hydroelectricity and wind among others because they are reliable, affordable and clean. This will reduce on the pressure imposed on the critical biodiversity’s like forests and wetland for fire wood used for cooking
In addition to that the government need to address the already existing challenges in the electricity sector for instance high tariffs, delay of commissioning of Karuma dam and deemed power as well.
Investing much in environmentally friendly activities such as fish rearing, fruit tree planting, bee keeping and others. These activities will help the local people to get food, income and at the same time supporting the environment.
The government need to stop investing much in the projects that contribute to climate change in the country for instance the oil extraction and factories being set up in the wetlands should be removed immediate because the disturb the river banks hence causing the flooding of the rivers.
Immediate displacement of the people who are living prone areas to disasters. This will help to reduce on the loss of lives and property of the people and support environment as well
Huge investment in the green economic activities such as tourism sector, agriculture, afforestation and others. These will support the environmental conservation efforts; contribute to employment to un employed youth, country’s GDP and others.
Restoration of destroyed forests and wetlands and strengthening the new environmental laws that are going to protect the restored forests and wetland.
The above strategies are the one expected to mitigate the increased impacts of the climate change in the country.
Therefore, I call on the government and other relevant stakeholders to invest much in the above mentioned strategies in order to do away with the climate change in the country.
The author is Kato Paul, Research Associate at Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO)
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