John Dibaba

Religious, Cultural, and Community Based Organizations have joined forces in the fight against climate change and its effects in northern Uganda. The group has joined the “Trees are not our commodity” campaign spearheaded by Action for Child Social and Economic Transformation (ACSET), an NGO to mitigate climate change.

The campaign, which will run for 12 months aims to make climate change a locally rooted conversation among citizens, cultural leaders, private sector players, and political departments in the districts and sub-counties. It is geared toward the protection of existing forest reserves and endangered tree species such as Shea nut trees. Bruno Sserunkuma Akejo, the Director of ACSET Uganda explains that they are using all the available structures to ensure that everyone is involved in the fight against climate change. The organization is creating a community-based environmental protection movement that unites the region thus leading to joint protection of the environment. Patrick Abal, the Minister for Culture, Heritage, and Tourism under Lango Cultural Foundation, says that the cultural institution has a plan to plant five acres of trees in every district. The institution also entered a partnership with the Busoga Kingdom to plant trees along the shores of Lake Kwania, Kyoga, and the Nile River.

In November 2022, Egypt will host the 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP27, with the view of building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition. This is a golden opportunity for all stakeholders to rise to the occasion and effectively tackle the global challenge of climate change on the African continent.

Climate change is one factor that is hampering Uganda’s efforts to end poverty because the country continues to experience adverse weather changes like prolonged drought, devastating floods, and mudslides.