{"id":10178,"date":"2024-08-13T21:56:38","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T18:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/?p=10178"},"modified":"2024-08-13T21:56:38","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T18:56:38","slug":"uganda-takes-bold-steps-against-air-pollution-and-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/uganda-takes-bold-steps-against-air-pollution-and-climate-change","title":{"rendered":"Uganda takes bold steps against air pollution and climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Uganda, a significant collaboration between the Ministry of Water and Environment and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is addressing severe air quality issues that contribute to over 28,000 annual deaths. This partnership aims to tackle the critical problem of air pollution, focusing particularly on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as methane, black carbon, and hydrofluorocarbons, which have a profound impact on both human health and the environment. SLCPs are known for their detrimental effects on air quality, climate change, and public health, making their reduction a priority for improving overall air quality and mitigating climate impacts.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The initiative involves the development of targeted strategies<\/a> to reduce emissions of these pollutants. This includes implementing measures to cut methane emissions from agriculture and waste management<\/a>, as well as reducing black carbon from incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. By addressing these pollutants, the project<\/a> aims to significantly improve air quality and reduce health risks associated with pollution.<\/p>\n

Supporting these efforts, a workshop organized by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) plays a crucial role in strengthening<\/a> Uganda’s planning and mitigation efforts. The workshop provides technical expertise and facilitates knowledge exchange, helping to build local capacity for effective air quality management and climate<\/a> mitigation. Through this collaborative approach, Uganda is not only addressing immediate air quality challenges but also laying the groundwork for long-term improvements in public health<\/a> and environmental sustainability.<\/p>\n

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Short-lived climate pollutants<\/a>, including black carbon and methane, are significant contributors to global warming, accounting for up to<\/span>\u00a045% of the current warming trend<\/span><\/a>. Additionally, these pollutants have a detrimental impact on human health<\/a> and crop yields. Addressing the emissions of these pollutants is crucial to prevent surpassing the critical<\/span>\u00a01.5\u00b0C warming threshold<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change on human health both in Uganda and globally.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Uganda\u2019s historically minor role in global emissions<\/a>, the country suffers from the adverse effects of poor air quality. More than\u00a0<\/span>28 000 annual deaths<\/span><\/a>\u00a0are attributed to this issue. Kampala, Uganda\u2019s capital, was notably one of the most heavily polluted cities worldwide in 2022, with pollution levels\u00a0<\/span>frequently surpassing WHO guidelines<\/span><\/a>, much of which is due to\u00a0<\/span>household use of biomass<\/span><\/a>. By 2024, Uganda had improved slightly, ranking as the<\/span>\u00a023rd most polluted country<\/a>\u00a0in terms of air quality, though pollution levels still exceeded WHO guidelines\u00a0<\/span>by a factor of five<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\"RoadsideRoadside charcoal sold for household use in Uganda. (<\/picture>Photo: Connie O\u2019Neill \/ SEI.)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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In response to these challenges, relevant government<\/a> agencies have implemented a series of regulations and actions aimed at improving Uganda\u2019s air quality amidst the escalating air pollution crisis. The National Environment Management Authority and Ministry of Water<\/a> and Environment in Uganda are leading these efforts. One significant legislative action includes the adoption of the<\/span>\u00a02024 National Environment (Air Quality Standards) Regulations<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>which prohibit the emission of objectionable substances into the air from any source, including smoke, gases, fumes or dust. Moreover, the government has committed to reducing SLCP emissions through the development of a<\/span>\u00a0national SLCP plan and a national methane roadmap<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Capacity strengthening<\/a> for sustainable SLCP mitigation<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>The Ministry of Water and Environment has enlisted the support of the\u00a0<\/span>Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to further enhance expertise in SLCP mitigation.\u202fSince joining the CCAC in 2021, Uganda has committed to strengthening its institutional capabilities by\u00a0<\/span>establishing national air quality regulations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and integrating strategies for both climate and clean air.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These strategic efforts also align with Uganda\u2019s commitment to the Kigali Amendment under the Montreal Protocol. The\u00a0<\/span>detailed emission inventories<\/span><\/a>\u00a0developed through these initiatives can inform Uganda\u2019s future\u00a0<\/span>nationally determined contributions (NDCs)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with targeted policies and measures for SLCP reduction.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In collaboration with SEI, a non-state partner and a member of CCAC since 2012, Uganda is working to strengthen its capacity<\/a> to meet SLCP targets. SEI collaborates with\u00a0<\/span>various nations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in fulfilling their climate and air quality commitments by supporting government bodies to evaluate and reduce SLCP emissions and assist in the development of national SLCP plans and methane roadmaps.<\/span><\/p>\n

In July 2024, SEI researchers\u00a0<\/span>Connie O\u2019Neill<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Caroline Sawe<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Ngongang Wandji Danube<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Mbeo Ogeya<\/span><\/a>\u00a0facilitated\u202fa training workshop with\u202frepresentatives from multiple government agencies on SLCP planning and mitigation. The workshop, co-led by the\u00a0<\/span>Environmental Compliance Institute<\/span><\/a>, aimed to strengthen the capacity of\u202frepresentatives from the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, National Environment Management Authority, Ministry of Water and Environment, and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and other partners where the\u00a0<\/span>Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0tool, developed by SEI, was used extensively.\u00a0<\/span>LEAP is a widely used software for energy policy analysis, including climate change and air quality mitigation<\/a> assessments. It has been adopted by thousands of organizations in over 190 countries, underscoring its effectiveness and global acceptance as a tool for detailed environmental and energy<\/a> planning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Cross-section of participants and facilitators at the workshop<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Cross<\/picture><\/a>\"Going<\/picture><\/a>\"Workshop<\/picture><\/a>\"Cross<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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P<\/span>articipants reviewed and provided feedback on the preliminary Uganda LEAP dataset, which quantifies SLCP emissions in Uganda and\u00a0<\/span>identifies<\/span>\u00a0key sources.\u00a0<\/span>This feedback session\u00a0<\/span>allowed national experts to critically evaluate and suggest improvements to make the\u00a0<\/span>data<\/a> analysis\u00a0<\/span>more up-to-date and useful for\u00a0<\/span>g<\/span>overnment\u00a0<\/span>m<\/span>inistries.\u00a0<\/span>D<\/span>iscuss<\/span>ions also explored<\/span>\u00a0potential mitigation measures\u00a0<\/span>that could<\/span>\u00a0align with existing policies and plans, such as Uganda\u2019s NDC<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Vision 2040<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Action and next steps<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/span>At the close of the workshop, participants and project partners agreed to collaborate on developing mitigation scenarios that explore actions to reduce SLCP emissions<\/a> in Uganda. This collaborative effort will form the basis of a national SLCP plan and methane roadmap, outlining Uganda\u2019s strategic path to address SLCP emissions and contribute to international climate<\/a> targets, while also improving air quality and delivering health benefits domestically.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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In Uganda, a significant collaboration between the Ministry of Water and Environment and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is addressing severe air quality issues that contribute to over 28,000 annual deaths. This partnership aims to tackle the critical problem of air pollution, focusing particularly on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as methane, black […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10179,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10178"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10183,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10178\/revisions\/10183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}