Activists want climate change budget increased

Jun 04, 2013

The Government should increase the budgetary allocation to climate change-related activities if Uganda is to achieve Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan 2010-15.

By Samuel Sanya

The Government should increase the budgetary allocation to climate change-related activities if Uganda is to achieve Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan 2010-15.

A prolonged drought in 2011 that saw headline inflation hit 30% and the current hard-to-predict rainy seasons have increased the importance of climate change control activities.

Research by the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), a civil society organisation, indicates that funding on climate change should reach sh664b annually in line with a draft policy on climate change.

“The draft policy on climate change emphasises the importance of adaptation, particularly in those sectors considered vulnerable to climate change,” Godber Tumushabe, the ACODE executive director, said during a climate change workshop at the Kampala Sheraton Hotel recently.

The policy proposes the creation of a ministerial committee on climate change, a new climate change department in the water and environment ministry to replace the climate change unit and a climate change advisory committee.

Vision 2040 states that Ugandan households will reach lower middle-income status, earning between sh2.6m and sh10m in 2017, before hitting upper middle-income status earning between sh10m and sh33m by 2032. Oil revenues and agriculture earnings are expected to accelerate the achievement, but analysts are agitating for tighter budgetary and financial controls, as well as higher climate change related expenditure before the revenues start to flow in.

Tony Muhumuza, a research fellow with ACODE, noted that expenditure on climate change related activities has risen to sh71.8b in the 2011/12 financial year, from sh41.5b in 2008/9.

The Government has allocated sh13b to weather, climate and climate change activities, according to the 2013/14 budget framework.

The money will be used to prepare aviation forecasts and documents for international and national flights.

It will also be used for sensitisation programmess, daily and monthly weather forecasts, weather observatories, tree planting, scholarships for 33 meteorology officers and the rehabilitation of 200 rainfall stations throughout the country.

Expenditure on weather, climate and climate change should be increased by sh664m annually, the civil society said.

Allocations for the agriculture sector are set to increase 3.5% to sh384b, according to the 2013/14 national budget framework, while allocations to the water and environment sector will increase 3.2% to sh382b.

On the other hand, budget allocations to climate are set to reduce to sh8.39b in the 2014/15 financial year and to sh6.837b in the 2015/16 financial year, according to the budget framework paper.

Only sh2b of the allocated sh6.59b in the current national budget for weather, climate and climate change activities had been spent by December 2012.

“With the regional and global climate changes, it is important to increase the yield per hectare of land. This can be attained through increased sustainable land management practices and promotion of use of fertilisers,” the budget framework paper reads.

 

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