The country is experiencing devastating effects of climate change due to environmental degradation such as rampant felling of trees for firewood and making charcoal, encroachment on wetlands, among others. This has led to prolonged dry spells, with several hectares of crops withering, leaving farmers counting losses and communities facing food shortages. In some parts of the country where vast tracts of forests and other vegetative cover have been cleared in hilly areas, landslides have occurred on many occasions, destroying properties and killing people. Thousands have been displaced over the years as a result of these unfortunate incidents.
Encroachment on wetlands has destroyed habitats of animals and insects. In some areas of the country, this wanton encroachment on wetlands has caused floods that have destroyed properties, killed people, and displaced thousands. Wetlands absorb rainwater, so if they are degraded, it enables flooding with the accompanying devastating effects. Trees are an integral part of the ecosystem. They take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and turn it into oxygen, which is essential for the existence of animals, including human beings. Trees are also essential for the formation of rainfall, which most farmers in the country depend on for the cultivation of crops and rearing livestock and poultry.
However, the forest cover has declined from 24 percent in 1990 to the current 12.7 percent. Vast tracts of wetlands have also been encroached on. Some inroads have been made in restoring degraded forests and wetlands, but this small gain is being negated by stubborn and unscrupulous locals, who return to restored wetlands where they were earlier evicted. The country also faces a polyethylene (plastic) problem. Uganda has a high consumption of plastic but poor management of plastic waste. Very little plastic waste is recycled, with most of the plastic bags (kavera) and bottles haphazardly disposed of, polluting our environment. We call upon the government to step up efforts to conserve our environment.
Forests and wetlands must be protected from encroachers. Everyone should be educated about the importance of preserving these natural resources. It is imperative that the government helps those who previously derived their livelihoods from wetlands find an alternative source of income to prevent the scenario of them returning to restored wetlands. Tree planting should be encouraged countrywide to restore the country’s lost forest cover. The authorities must also increase efforts to enable more people use cooking fuels that are not harmful to the environment.
This can be done by reducing electricity tariffs and reducing taxes on cooking gas to make them affordable. We also implore the public that conserving the environment is not only a responsibility of the government, but also their civic duty. Where applicable, plastic bottles and bags should be reused by the public. Incentives should also be provided to attract more entrepreneurs to set up plastic recycling factories. The authorities must also strive to ensure increased use of non-plastic packaging materials.