OPINION
I attended a National Post COP25 Feedback meeting in February 2020 in Kampala where key stakeholders around the five regions in Uganda came together to reflect on what happened at the COP25 in Madrid and strategize on the road to National climate ambition and COP26 in Glasgow.
Being stuck by bad faith negotiations that put policies and fossil fuel interests above people and the planet at the COP 25 in Madrid, Spain. This again exposed the apathy to the suffering of millions of people and a willful rejection of the science.
The gap between what people are demanding, what the science says we need for a climate-safe future and what our leaders are willing to do is widening as emissions rise, fossil fuel production expands and impacts escalate.
Therefore, it was upon that background that a meeting convened to devise strategies on how Uganda government can tackle the climate change “emergency” and ensure that the guidelines for the Paris Agreement and other commitments that Uganda is signatory to are complimented and complied to achieve the climate change targets.
The 25th UN Climate Conference known as COP25 took place in Madrid against a backdrop of growing recognition of the impacts of climate change and the need to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Over the last years, climate change has become an increasingly central concern not only for governments and society but also for businesses.
The scientific consensus on the causes and effects of climate change has hardened and the impacts have started to become more evident, from more frequent and more extreme hurricanes and typhoons to devastating wildfires and record temperatures in the Arctic.
Therefore, the COP25 had an important role to play in bringing the 2015 Paris Agreement into force and paving the way for more ambitious carbon reduction commitments from governments at the next conference COP26 to be held in Glasgow, UK. This year of 2020, nations are due to submit new or updated national climate action plans, referred to as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The COP25 also aimed to develop guidelines on how international carbon markets will work (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement), also focused on adaptation to climate impacts, loss and damage suffered by developing nations due to climate change, finance for decarbonization and more.
In the meeting in Kampala, lead negotiators that represented Uganda in the UN Climate Conference in Madrid noted that COP 25 was the longest on record, over-running by almost two days. It was also widely seen as one of the most fractious and ultimately disappointing in terms of the progress it made.
A ‘High Ambition Coalition’ of the European Union, the UK, many smaller nations and business called for stronger action but were opposed by a group of high emitting countries.
Although in the end countries agreed to bring improved emissions reduction plans for the Next COP 26 in November to achieve net-zero GHG emission by 2050, there was disagreement on the robustness of rules for setting up an international carbon market, with some countries objecting to moves to avoid the double-counting of emissions to disallow carbon credits from the previous Kyoto Protocol system.
Also rather than agreeing on a weakened system, the issue was delayed until next year’s talks. While this was seen as disappointing by those with higher ambitions, it is significant that delegates preferred to delay rather than sign off on a weakened deal.
Pressure will grow over the next year for all nations to sign up to a more ambitious international carbon trading system that only uses new carbon credits.
There was also an impasse on how to compensate countries already suffering from the impacts of climate change (the issue known as “loss and damage”). Some developed countries are keen not to be held responsible for climate-related damages, which could reach around US$150 billion a year by 2025.
Although the outcome of COP25 pushed a number of important decisions into COP26, countries like Uganda has to meet long-term climate objectives including the Paris Agreement in form of changing the way we produce and use energy.
This requires a greater emphasis on energy efficiency and innovation, speeding up the deployment of low-carbon technologies, like solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and accelerating the development of carbon capture.
With the Sustainable Development Goals Scenario, the pathway that can enable Uganda to meet climate, energy access and air quality goals, and which is fully compliant with the Paris Agreement, while maintaining a strong focus on the reliability and affordability of energy for a growing global population.
That pathway would require rapid and widespread changes across all parts of the energy system. And, as ever, decisions made by governments remain critical.
The government of Uganda based on current policies and plans, including the first round of Nationally, Determined Contributions, an integrated pathway for the energy sector to meet the Paris Agreement goals, while also achieving universal energy access and substantially reducing air pollution.
A critical task for policymakers must address the persistent lack of access to electricity and clean cooking, and the unreliability of electricity supply, which have acted as brakes in the country.
To achieve the climate change targets of net-zero greenhouse gases in Uganda, the government should pass the climate change Bill to compel any institution responsible for emitting those gases in the atmosphere.
