Environment Ministry develops tools to guide climate change mainstreaming

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Water and Environment is currently developing disaster risk reduction tools to aid the integration of climate change programs into planning and budgeting processes.

Senior Climate Change Specialist Muhammad Ssemambo says that the cross-sectoral nature of climate change interventions requires an all-round approach to ensure that all stakeholders address climate change impacts and their causes.

Ssemambo adds that the climate change department has now developed tools that will aid technocrats at all levels to include an aspect of climate change mitigation and adaptation into planning, decision making and investment.

The said tools have been piloted in Kasese, Mbale and Lira municipality in the areas of agriculture, transport, energy, environment, and biodiversity. Ssemambo says that the ministry is currently advancing to provide practical, step-by-step guidance for all local governments on how to mainstream climate change in their activities.

Wakiso district Natural Resources Officer Rebecca Ssabaganzi observes the move towards integration of the climate change will be a big milestone since currently there have been little or no funds allocated for mitigation interventions.

Ssabaganzi shares that with the integration fast-tracked, the planning officers in different sectors and departments will have projections for their areas, to enable them to plan for mitigation and sensitization of masses.

Wakiso district chairperson Matia Lwanga Bwanika welcomes the idea of integration and mainstreaming of climate change interventions but expresses reservations on the government’s commitment to meet the financial obligation attached to the development.

Bwanika argues that the government should as well show the political will to address some environmental challenges that lead to climate change.

The Emissions gap report recently released by the UN Environment Programme cautioned that the world is heading for more destructive climate impacts, even if countries meet commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The report, which compares where greenhouse gas emissions are heading, versus where they need to be; called on all countries to reduce their emissions, and substantially increase their Nationally Determined Contributions (the commitments made under the Paris Agreement) in 2020, and put into place the policies to implement them in order to avert deadly and catastrophic heatwaves, storms and pollution.

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