- Uganda’s ambition to slash its carbon emissions took another key step when it launched the Alliance for Climate Forestry Compensation Strategy.
- Ruth Nankabirwa, the minister of Energy and Mineral Development, while speaking at the launch, reiterated the need for balancing energy development with environmental sustainability.
Uganda’s ambition to slash its carbon emissions took another key step when it launched the Alliance for Climate Forestry Compensation Strategy during the recently concluded UN Climate Summit (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to a press statement from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.
The new strategy is part of the Alliance for Climate Resilience (ACR), whose aim is to bring all those involved in the generation and supply of sustainable energy to address the country’s pressing challenges. The strategy also intends to drag down the cost of electricity.
The Forestry Compensation Strategy is designed to guide Uganda in developing projects that generate carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, especially emissions related to the country’s oil and gas projects currently under development. Carbon credits can also be sold on the international carbon market.
Ruth Nankabirwa, the minister of Energy and Mineral Development, while speaking at the launch, reiterated the need for balancing energy development with environmental sustainability. She noted that Uganda is putting in place measures to address the emissions generated by oil and gas projects under development.
“As we develop our energy projects, we must prepare for the greenhouse gas emissions they will generate. We have identified government and district forest reserves to offset these emissions,” she said.
Michael Mugerwa, the general manager of the Uganda Refinery Holding Company, a subsidiary of the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), highlighted the strategy’s reliance on solutions that protect the environment. Key interventions include afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) projects.
Mugerwa stated that these projects aim to achieve an initial carbon drawdown of up to 1,000,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to Uganda’s energy projects, the statement noted.
A pre-feasibility study has already identified potential sites for carbon drawdown, the ministry said, targeting approximately 65,000 hectares of degraded land for reforestation and 220,000 hectares of threatened forests for protection under REDD+. The Alliance for Climate Resilience seeks to establish strategic partnerships across the public and private sectors to secure land and implement these projects effectively.
Government ministries, agencies, development partners, private sector entities, and other stakeholders, all working together to advance climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in Uganda’s energy sector, are part of a collaborative platform within ACR.
The initiative builds on Uganda’s Energy Transition Plan, which was launched last year in Dubai, UAE during COP28. which provides a roadmap for sustainably developing the country’s energy resources.
The launch of the Forestry Compensation Strategy underscores Uganda’s commitment to aligning energy development with climate resilience. By integrating nature-based solutions and fostering collaboration, the country aims to balance industrial growth with global environmental goals, positioning itself as a leader in sustainable energy practices.