Walker Institute Team Contributes to Ugandan National Environment Bill

The Ugandan National Environment Bill, intended to repeal and replace the 1995 National Environment Act, is currently being developed by policymakers.  Researchers from the Walker Institute working on the HyCRISTAL project (Integrating Hydro-Climate Science into Policy Decisions for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure and Livelihoods in East Africa) were able to contribute to the Bill’s development through direct proposals to the consultative process of the Climate Change Working Group.  The proposals to the Working Group were facilitated by Climate Action Network-Uganda (CAN-U), a well-connected advocacy organization based in Kampala and Walker Institute and HyCRISTAL partner.  Miriam Talwisa, the CAN-U programmes and partnerships manager, was able to present the team’s suggestions to the Working Group so that they could formally be integrated into the drafting process. 

The researchers from the Walker Institute recognized the importance of including reference to the impacts of climate change on livelihoods within the text of the Bill.  They proposed revisions and additions to relevant clauses that signal the need for comprehensive livelihoods zoning and the prerequisite of having a deep, balanced, and uniform baseline understanding of livelihoods before any of the impacts of climate change on society and the economy can be fully understood.  The Walker team strategically targeted six clauses and several sub-clauses in their suggestions that they cross-referenced in order to leverage a coherent and reinforcing influence over the Bill as a whole.