Uganda: A Brief Introduction

Uganda is a land-locked country in East Africa with a population of 45 million people.1 The country consists largely of tropical savannah with varied regions including mountain ranges, lowlands, and the cattle corridor that differ in adaptive capacity. Poverty in Uganda, with 21 percent of people at the national poverty line, limits access to social and financial capital that can aid in climate adaptation.2 In addition to poverty, high population growth, post-conflict conditions in the North,3 lack of income diversity and heavy dependence on rainfed-agriculture, the country and its people are highly vulnerable to climate change.4  

Mapping Major Climate Events & Climate-Induced Displacement

As the climate crisis intensifies, Uganda faces rising incidents of extreme weather leading to disasters such as floods, droughts, and landslides.5 Between 2018 and 2020, 334,000 people were displaced due to climate-related disasters, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.6 Flooding, particularly in low-lying areas of the country, presents the most significant risk.7 Each year, floods impact nearly 50,000 people and cost over $62 million.8 With rising rural-urban immigration and unplanned urbanization, cities such as the capital Kampala, are most prone to floods and face resilience challenges.9 Moreover, droughts are among the recurrent disasters in Uganda, and evidence indicates that they are becoming more frequent and severe.9 As a result, the country faces crop failure, threatening food security, and water scarcity. 

Mapping the Costs of the Climate Crisis

In 2019 and 2020, natural disasters cost Uganda $152.2 million primarily in the transport, housing, and agriculture sectors.9 The country depends significantly on rain-fed agriculture, with the agricultural sector employing 72%10 of the working population and contributing about 1/4 of GDP, drastically exacerbating vulnerability to recurrent drought and inundation.11 Variable rainfall makes it difficult for farmers to plan for timely planting of crops, leading to frequent crop failures and posing significant threats to food security and livelihoods.12 Flood-induced crop shortages significantly influence food security in Uganda and led to an estimated loss of about $21.9 million in 2020,8 an issue exacerbated by the presence of 1.5 million refugees from countries like South Sudan and Burundi.13  

Mapping Resilience and Mitigation Pathways

Uganda has taken proactive measures to address climate change impacts but faces challenges that necessitate a multipronged approach. In addition to institutional and technical capacity gaps, Uganda faces crosscutting challenges with conflicts and resource management issues because of its growing refugee population that hinder the implementation of climate adaptation plans. To address the climate crisis, Uganda has passed its National Climate Change Policy14 and NDC5 wherein the country committed to reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2030, reducing climate vulnerability of climate sensitive sectors since the economy is natural resource based, and building climate resilience of key sectors and managing disaster risks. Building on this momentum, in 2021 Uganda passed the National Climate Change Act, which gives force of law to enable the country to implement climate change response measures in line with resolutions from international conventions like the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.15 To tackle converging climate, social, and economic crises, Uganda will need $2.9 billion over the next 15 years to fund adaptation measures and $5.4 billion over the next 10 years to finance mitigation.16

Necessary Changes

Despite these actions by the government, Uganda cannot succeed in preventing the effects of the climate crisis without meaningful funding from multilateral and international mechanisms to reach the $8.3 billion needed to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. The financing from the international community and Ugandan government for adaptation and mitigation projects must incorporate highly vulnerable and knowledgeable communities like the Batwa indigenous community and Basongora pastoralists in education initiatives, decision making and implementation processes. It is critical that the Ugandan government and international community address recognition, rights, and disproportionate levels of disadvantage for indigenous communities, including their financial redress and participation in decision-making on climate adaptation and beyond.17 By incorporating all communities with an eye to those most marginalized, Uganda can make the most effective, locally relevant climate action a reality.