**7. Policy: challenges and gaps**

Uganda is a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change that requires parties to develop climate change policies, strategies and plans that promote adaptation and mitigation. The Uganda Vision 2040 and the NDP III call for appropriate adaptation and mitigation strategies to ensure that Uganda is sufficiently cushioned from any adverse impact of climate change, while at the same time promoting low carbon intensive pathways. In 2015, Uganda unveiled both the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that reference both adaptation and mitigation, but state that adaptation is the primary

priority and mitigation is a secondary priority [15]. Both the NCCP and NDC prioritize climate sensitive energy services. The NCCP prioritizes sustainable energy access and utilization for increased climate change resilience, increased investment in renewable energy and clean energy technologies to reduce GHG. Similarly, the NDC priorities efficient biomass energy production and use, increased electricity access and energy efficiency, expansion of off grid solar systems and overall climate proofing of the energy sector.

Besides both the NCCP and NDC prioritize mainstreaming climate change in national, sectoral and local development plans, plans and budgets. In 2018, Uganda became the first country in Africa to sign the Partnership Plan for NDCs to achieve national climate goals as part of its obligations to the Paris Agreement. Under the NDCs, the country committed itself to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Currently Uganda is developing its Long-term Strategy for climate change and updating its NDC.

The Paris Agreement (Articles 2 and 4) also asks Parties to formulate and communicate a Long-term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) to strengthening global response to the threat of climate change i.e. "holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below.

2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels" [58]. Uganda is on track to develop its Long-Term Strategy for Climate change, ahead of COP 26 in in UK in December 2021. Only 29 parties have so far submitted their LTS for climate change, only two of which are from African i.e. Benin and South Africa<sup>5</sup> , implying that Uganda will be one of the first leading countries worldwide to develop an LTS. The focus of the LTS is to identify one or more low-emission pathways in line with the country's development objectives and strives to identify emission pathways compatible with the temperature goal set by the Paris Agreement. Uganda's LTS will cover both mitigation and adaptation aspects, and will include all of the main outcomes from the major plans, policies and strategies that have been previously developed, including among others, the Vision 2020, NDPs, NCCP, Second National Communication to UNFCC, NDC of 2015, Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy, First Biennial Update Report (BUR) submitted in 2019, and the NDC submitted to UNFCCC 2015 and is currently being updated in the run-up to COP 26. A National Climate Change Act was passed by the Uganda parliament on 27th April 20216 and is now awaiting presidential assent before it becomes law. The new law provides for national participation in climate change, institutional arrangements for coordinating and implementing climate change response ansd for financing for climate change action, including for climate smart energy systems.

The main energy policies for Uganda are the National Energy Policy 2002 and **the National Renewable Energy Policy.** The aim of energy policy is to meet the energy needs of the Ugandan population for social and economic development in an environmentally sustainable way. The policy is b being revised and revised policy is place [19], aimed at "meet the energy needs of the Ugandan population by providing adequate and reliable energy supply for socio-economic growth and sustainable development". The renewable energy policy aims at increasing the use of modern renewable energy, from 4–61% by 2017. The energy policy framework addresses issues of with renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency devices which can translate into low GHG emissions and promoting low carbon development and provides the necessary framework for private sector investors in renewable energy projects to benefit from the available facilities in emissions trading. One of policy's

<sup>5</sup> https://www.climatewatchdata.org/lts-explore

<sup>6</sup> https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/5093/climate-change-bill-passed

*The Energy and Climate Change Nexus in Uganda: Policy Challenges and Opportunities… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99353*

strategies is to integrate biomass energy production and efficient utilization and its impacts on climate and health into the formal education system. The policy also recognizes the need for promoting the conversion of municipal and industrial waste to energy to reduce methane emissions.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) is the main energy actor in Uganda, responsible for energy policy development and guidance. The Ministry has two departments that support climate friendly energy policy and practice i.e. the Renewable Energy Department and an Energy Conservation Department. However, the policy provides for the establishment of a National Energy Committee at the National level and District Energy Committee and District Energy Offices at the local Governments, to date, they are not yet in place. Small-scale renewable energy sources which would have been ideal the rural areas have remained marginal compared to large scale commercial energy and yet 85% of Uganda's population is rural. Taxes on energy saving products, efficient technologies and solar products for lighting, cooking and heating, water pumping (which are also climate change compliant) are still high. If these products continue to be highly priced due to high taxes, their future potential is at risk, given the lowincome levels of the majority of Uganda's population. Consequently, renewable energy technologies have remained financially out of the reach of many Ugandans. Moreover, the high electricity tariffs make it unaffordable for cooking purposes and the alternatives remain charcoal and firewood. Besides, energy blackouts and outages remain frequent and many institutions, commercial enterprises and households' resort to use of thermal generators for energy as compared to use renewable energy like solar or biogas.

Following the discovery of commercial oil deposits, the Government of Uganda came up with the National Oil and Gas Policy for Uganda in February 2008 whose main policy goal is to use the country's oil and gas resources to contribute to early achievement of poverty eradication and create lasting value to society. Given that consumption of fossil fuels is the greatest contributor to GHG emission, the policy and utilization could prove a serious challenge to climate change and overall environmental management. Already, the country plans to use the oil reserves for thermal electricity generation to fill the electricity deficit, which will definitely increase GHG emissions. Although one of the policy priorities of the oil and gas policy is to ensure that oil and gas activities are undertaken in a manner that conserves the environment and biodiversity, the policy remains climate change not incorporating climate change issues.

### **8. Conclusion**

Energy poverty remains high in Uganda amidst the high energy potential, but the current main sources energy (biomass and hydro-electricity) are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. With no viable and affordable alternative sources of energy is sight, dependence on biomass energy remains inevitable in the foreseeable future. This makes managing climate risks to energy systems an urgent necessity to ensure supply systems reliability and resilience, if Uganda is to achieve its development targets.

The main barriers to attaining climate smart and sustainable energy systems in Uganda financial constraints and weak technical ability, most which has to be obtained from external sources. But while the climate change vulnerability of the energy sector and need for increased resilience are highly recognized, international focus has been put on mitigating GHG emissions and greening energy, and much less on building climate resilience. This creates a conflict in policy for
