In an isolated village sitting in Nakaseke within central Uganda, Liverpool Football Club (LFC) fans in Uganda have left a “big footprint”. LFC fans have started planting trees to reduce climate change. This is bringing to life a long-standing slogan: Think globally, act locally.

For Pamela Icumar, football has eaten up a big part of her life. It started as a pastime, but Icumar ended up swimming in the deep end as a diehard soccer fan.

As she kept watching the intriguing overseas games regularly, Liverpool FC stole Icumar’s love for soccer. Along the way, she became part of Uganda’s LFC football fraternity. This is also helping the fans address social causes and the conservation or sustainable use of the environment. As a result, they are now building a community of tree-planting Ugandan Liverpool fans.

"I grew up at Old Kampala in the company of boys, and it led me into football," says Icumar, adding that they used to watch the TV program Football Made in Germany and the Big League.

She says John Barnes, who is now a legend at Liverpool FC was one of the star players in the Big League. "I think John Barnes, with his fine dribbles and fast runs, was the biggest eye-catcher at the time."

Later in the late 1990s, DSTV introduced us to the Premiership. "The great comeback of 2005 after beating AC Milan in the Champions League final is when Liverpool got into my DNA. I had a boyfriend who was a fan of Arsenal. They had baptised us as "Loserpool"—we were the underdogs, and the win earned us some bragging rights."

The official Liverpool Supporters Club in Uganda aims to plant up to five milllion trees. Courtesy Photo

She added, "I love nature; I love the green; it is calming and so peaceful. I want to get into a peaceful environment where there is no traffic jam and no pollution."

Icumar says that the environment has changed as well as the climate. "We have seen the frequent floods and drought in Uganda," she says, adding that all this means that there is a need to restore the environment.

When Patience Nankabirwa Opio watched Liverpool play for the first time two decades ago, the passionate supporters caught her attention. "I experienced the passion of the fans and got hooked for good," she says, adding that Liverpool also has a rich history.

This love for football and people is spreading to Uganda’s communities and the environment through thousands of Liverpool fans. "The environment is being degraded, and it causes worry about the danger we are handing over to our children," says Opio. "The good thing is that we can do something about it."

Opio is one of the Liverpool fans who planted 12 trees out of the 500 trees planted on land belonging to the community in Nakaseke in 2018. A big forest of indigenous trees is coming out of her efforts and those of other fans who identify with LFC. "The trees are doing great, and they are taller than most people," she says.

This is shaping the first-ever Liverpool Football Club Forest in a part of the world that still suffers from deforestation and the destruction of wetlands. Uganda’s Liverpool fans also referred to as UG-Kop with their partners, Tree Adoption Uganda: a climate change NGO are targeting to plant five million trees. LFC Forest is a "sanctuary" where any Liverpool fan or Kopite around the World can plant a tree.

The promoters are hopeful that this will create a "carbon sink" to absorb some of the waste gases, such as carbon dioxide, that are blamed for causing climate change. The waste gases or emissions from burning fossil fuels trap the heat escaping from the earth, thereby causing climate change.

Liverpool FC is also receiving assistance from the green drive that LFC supporters in Uganda are undertaking. The promoters say that every time Liverpool FC moves to play in the Premiership and Champions League, they use buses or aeroplanes powered by fossil fuels. They say Nakaseke’s greenery is an opportunity to sink emissions produced by LFC. This is because the Nakaseke forest is similar to a storehouse for locking up some of the climate change-causing emissions, according to the promoters.

What is climate change?

 Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural changes, according to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). However, since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change due to burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.

As climate change takes a toll on the population, lakes in the region, including Victoria “revolted” with massive flooding in 2019, 2020 and 2021 in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. This resulted in the displacement of thousands around Lake Victoria and the destruction of lakeside properties.  The floods receded but left the countries exposed because they did not have adequate responses in terms of storing the water in a reservoir.

According to the IPCC, burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.

The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. These come from using fossil fuels for driving a car or coal for heating a building. Also, clearing land and cutting down forests can release carbon dioxide. According to the IPCC, the main sources of emissions are energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use change.

Impacts

The warming of the earth disrupts rainfall patterns and also melts the ice on mountaintops like the Rwenzori. This is also behind the frequent floods and droughts in Uganda and neighbouring countries.

In the coming years, according to Revocatus Twinomuhangi, coordinator of the Makerere University Center for Climate Change, three-quarters of Uganda can grow coffee, but this is going to be restricted to a few highland areas due to climate change effects.

As climate change sweeps through the world, the impacts are affecting rich and poor countries differently. Unlike the rich countries, which have superior technology, the poor countries directly depend on nature.

Global warming

In 2021, the global mean temperature was about 1.1°C above the pre-industrial level (from 1850 to 1900). The years from 2015 to 2021 were the seven warmest on record.

The global annual mean temperature is projected to rise beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years, according to the most recent report on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Climate action

SDGs, which are the blueprint for a sustainable future, aim, among other things, at fighting climate change.

Also known as the 2030 global development agenda, the global transformation agenda, or a plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity, the SDGs were adopted by world leaders in 2015.

There are 17 SDGs that cover an ambitious global agenda, from ending poverty to regaining peace and stability while leaving no one behind. SDGs seek to address poverty, hunger, health and well-being, quality of education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure.

They also seek to address inequality, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice, strong institutions, and partnerships for the goals.

SDG 13 is about Climate action, meaning any policy, measure, or programme that reduces greenhouse gases, builds resilience to climate change, or supports and finances those goals.

Global Goals Week

Liverpool FC is backing the United Nations' Global Goals Week to highlight the urgent need to eradicate poverty and protect the planet from climate change, according to LFC’s official website.

The Red Way, which is LFC's ongoing commitment to creating a better future for its people, planet and communities, is aligned with 14 of the 17 UN SDGs, also known as the Global Goals.

LFC is aware of its responsibility as a global football club to help inspire and encourage positive changes in behaviour, and since The Red Way was launched back in 2021, it has been embedded into all aspects of the club's work and decision-making under its three key pillars: people, planet and communities.

Throughout Global Goals Week (September 15 to 24, 2023), in collaboration with Project Everyone – a UN global partner for SDGs advocacy and outreach – and more than 150 other partners, LFC is hoping to bring attention to the urgency needed to make an impact with only seven years remaining until the 2030 deadline. Global Goals Week will mobilize communities, demand urgency, and supercharge solutions for SDGs.

As quoted ibn LFC’s official website, Rishi Jain, director of impact at Liverpool FC, said: "As a club, we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment and are working hard to leave a legacy to be proud of – which is why the Global Goals form such an essential part of our sustainability strategy.

"We recognise that we are now at the critical halfway point and that there is still much work to do to come together to achieve the greatest comeback ever."

UNEP’s 2022 emissions gap

UNEP’s most recent report shows the difference between where greenhouse emissions are predicted to be in 2030 and where they should be to avert the worst impacts.

The report shows that updated national pledges since COP26, held in 2021 in Glasgow, UK, make a negligible difference to predicted 2030 emissions and that we are far from the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C.

"Policies currently in place point to a 2.8°C temperature rise by the end of the century. Implementation of the current pledges will only reduce this to a 2.4–2.6°C temperature rise by the end of the century, for conditional and unconditional pledges, respectively," stated UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).

Who is polluting the world?  

The top seven emitters (China, the US, India, the EU, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, and Brazil) accounted for about half of global greenhouse emissions in 2020, according to a UN report from 2023 (Net Zero is Possible).

The group of 20 countries (namely Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union) are responsible for about 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report.

Global village

Although Nakaseke is about 10,000 kilometres away from Liverpool, the negative impacts of climate change, such as cutting down trees in Nakaseke, can affect Liverpool. The solution to climate change, such as tree planting to establish carbon sinks in Nakaseke, can benefit people in Liverpool or any other part of the World. This means that the two communities, namely Nakaseke and Liverpool, have to cooperate to protect the environment or minimise the impacts of climate change.

The two sides of the world (the Global South and the Global North) need each other. The "industrialised north" is responsible for pumping huge amounts of waste gases since the industrial revolution in 1850, and the global south has forests acting as carbon sinks.

This has given birth to agreements or common grounds for dealing with climate change and the conservation of biodiversity. Conventions such as the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement have been informed by globally accepted principles. They include the "polluter pays" principle, which demands that the polluter—and this could be the actors or the activity causing the pollution—pay for cleaning up the polluted area or covering the health costs of the people affected.

The second principle is that there are common but differentiated responsibilities. This means that the less developed countries, such as Uganda, recognise that they have a responsibility to cooperate with the rest of the world to clean the environment. However, the rich countries have a bigger responsibility for making deeper cuts in emissions and supporting the less developed countries to cope with the changing climate and conservation of carbon sinks.

Milestone for Africa

The story of Liverpool is an inspiration to the world and, in particular, Africa, which releases the least emissions but suffers most from climate change. This is because countries in Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The countries have high poverty levels and do not have the coping capacity to address them.

According to Dr. William Ruto, the President of Kenya, climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals are, in fact, two sides of the same coin. "We cannot achieve the SDGs without addressing climate change," Ruto says.

He says that Africa has lived on promises from the developed north to contribute $100 billion every year to the least developed countries since 2009. He says the inequalities have made countries in Africa vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. He also pointed out that Africa is part of the solution to address climate change.

The president called for investment in renewable energy, green industrialization, climate-smart agriculture, and nature conservation. He said this would accelerate global decarbonisation, fuel sustainable development, drive economic growth, and create employment for millions, including youth. "We have more than 60% of global cobalt extracted from DR Congo," he says, pointing out that this should be converted into batteries for electric vehicles within countries in Africa.

Ruto says green industrialisation would provide employment to Africans and build resilient economies.

He was speaking at the recently concluded African Climate Summit in Nairobi (September 4-6, 2023) organised by the Africa Union and Government of Kenya to give African negotiators political direction at COP 28, or the 28^th Conference of Parties under the UNFCCC. The theme of the Africa Climate Summit was "Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World."

The Summit proposed a new financing architecture responsive to Africa's needs, including debt restructuring and relief, and the development of a new Global Climate Finance Charter through the United Nations General Assembly and the COP processes by 2025, according to a UN statement.

Over 20,000 delegates attended the climate change event. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the event together with other high-profile people, including Simon Stielli, Executive Secretary UNFCC; Common Wealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland; US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry; Chief Climate Officer USAID Gillian Caldwell; and State Secretary and Special Envoy for New Climate Action Germany, Jennifer Morgan.

LFC’s resilience

Although climate change appears to be bigger than any individual or any one country, the fighters against climate change in Uganda are borrowing a leaf from the shortcomings and successes of Liverpool FC.

Uganda is one of the 12 most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change globally, according to the US’s University of Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative Index 2021. It is also the 49th-least prepared country to combat its effects.

In a manner similar to the fights of gladiators, Liverpool FC had memorable achievements three seasons ago. Not only did Liverpool FC end the 30-year drought without the Premiership Trophy, but they also conquered Europe and the world. In only 13 months, they captured four trophies—the Premier League, the Champions League, the Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup—for the first time.

Most sustainable club

While Liverpool has not won the Premiership in the last three years, it has been crowned champions of sustainability for the last two years.

"Liverpool FC has been named the greenest club in the Premier League, topping the Sport Positive Environmental Sustainability League for the second year in a row," stated Liverpool FC on its official website.

According to Global Sustainable Sport, Liverpool FC was aiming to be net-zero across its sports operations by the end of the current 2022–23 season. "By 2025, it aims to run 100 percent of club operations on low-carbon or clean energy sources. By 2030, it aims to reduce actual operational carbon emissions by 50 percent," stated Global Sustainable Sport.

The measures of sustainability include the use of solar power on the roof of the stand at Anfield, which is Liverpool’s home Stadium. Also referred to as renewable energy or green technologies, Liverpool FC is demonstrating that solar is the power of today as opposed to the power of the future.

Liverpool FC is also advancing into the green world by managing water use, drainage, waterless urinals, and carbon emissions by putting in place low-energy lighting.

 "We also have a number of wider commitments to sustainability through the award-winning "Reds Going Green" programme." As part of this programme, all of our staff are committed to reducing, recycling, or reusing waste. We recycle over 55% of the waste and regularly review what improvements can be made on match and non-match days," says Liverpool.

In March 2023, Liverpool crafted its sustainability report, "The Red Way Report," which showcases the importance of the three key pillars of LFC’s sustainability programme: people, planet, and communities.

Partnership

As the saying goes, charity begins at home, Liverpool FC fans in Uganda are helping to put global decisions into action. The Liverpool fans in Uganda are not experts on the environment but they are creating a partnership with Adopt a Tree in Uganda to inspire the global citizens to give better meaning to global conventions such as the Paris Agreement.