·        The ice caps on the Rwenzori Mountains are receding at such an alarming pace that this area could be completely devoid of glaciers by 2025. 

·        Western, northern and north-eastern districts are experiencing long droughts, which are becoming more frequent.  Water shortages are leading to loss of livestock, low production of milk, food insecurity, and increased food prices.

·        Malaria is at epidemic proportions. For example, Mbarara is experiencing a 135% increase in malaria cases. 

·        New evidence shows that Uganda’s fish stocks are among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change. 

·        Coffee, which is currently one of Uganda’s largest exports, accounting for more than 20% of export earnings, could be virtually wiped out with a 2°C increase in surface temperature.

This is a bleak picture, of a country which has made impressive progress in economic growth and poverty reduction, laid low by a global problem not of its making.

It would be easy to despair, say that the news is all bad, and that nothing can be done.  But this is not right.  For while climate change is a real threat, it is also an opportunity.

I give an example from the UK.  The British Government is serious about responding to climate change.  We have committed itself, through an Act of Parliament, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 against our 1990 baseline.  This will require a massive change to the way we do business and lead our lives in the UK – a change that will be disruptive and expensive.

But we also intend to grasp the opportunity presented by these changes.  The UK is at the forefront of the low carbon economic revolution.  On 15 July the UK launched its Low Carbon Transition Plan. This Plan sets out how the UK intends to meet its low carbon commitments, and how these changes will positively impact upon the British Economy. So, by 2020:

·        More than 1.2 million people in the UK will be in green jobs;

·        7 million UK homes will have benefited from whole house makeovers, and more than 1.5 million of those households will be supported to produce their own clean energy;

·        Around 40 percent of UK electricity will be from low-carbon sources, from renewables, nuclear and clean coal. 

·        The average new car bought in the UK will emit 40 percent less carbon than now.

The plan sets out the vision of a UK which is not only adapting to climate change, but which is taking full advantage of every opportunity to reshape itself as a low carbon economy, with economic growth and jobs build upon the foundation of sustainability.

Could Uganda also benefit from the changes which will need to take place to accommodate a changing climate? Could Uganda be one of those countries that sets itself on the path of low carbon growth? I would argue that the answer is yes.

Uganda is already benefiting, albeit in small ways, from carbon financing.  The West Nile Electrification Project will prevent 36 thousand tonnes of carbon being emitted into the atmosphere each year, supplying 4,000 households with clean electricity.  This project receives funds from companies who are seeking the least expensive way to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.

In Bushenyi, 500 farmers are benefiting from carbon credits to plant trees.  The farmers benefit from fruit, timber and medicine from the trees, and are paid regularly for the carbon stored by the trees.  Funds come from companies and individuals who voluntarily seek to offset their emissions.

So there are opportunities.  Selling carbon credits could become a driver of economic growth in Uganda.  Carbon financing could be used to promote better agriculture, cleaner fuels, both electricity and traditional fuels like charcoal and, economically productive forests.

But, we need to act together to unlock those opportunities.

We need push for two major changes – one globally and one in Uganda.

Globally, we need to set the stage to allow Uganda to adapt to the negative effects of climate change and create and benefit from opportunities.  In just over 2 months, the world’s attention will be focused on Copenhagen. 192 Heads of State will meet to forge a new agreement on an international response to climate change.  The decisions made in Copenhagen will shape how we will work together to reduce this risk. Copenhagen must be the moment we do so - a declaration of our mutual commitment as a single global society.  We must jointly push for a fair and equitable outcome that recognises the special position of the poorest and most vulnerable countries like Uganda.

Here in Uganda, it is our job, as policymakers, development partners, advocates, and citizens to raise awareness of both the opportunities and the threats.  As the DFID study notes, much good work has been done, but there is still much more to do.

The Ministry of Water and Environment has rightly placed itself at the forefront of the response.  Within that Ministry, the Climate Change Unit, in operation for only a few months, has already become a strong focal point within government for climate change. 

But this is not an issue of which the Climate Change Unit, or indeed, Ministry of Water and Environment, should have sole ownership. As a cross cutting issue, it should have a home in every ministry.  The leadership shown by the Minister for Water and Environment needs to be complemented by a similar commitment from the Minister for Finance, and indeed, the President himself.

In this vein, we are particularly encouraged by the work of the Parliamentary Forum on Climate Change, under the leadership of the Hon. David Ebong. This Forum was created in late 2008 to respond to the limited awareness of climate change in Uganda.  The Forum recognises the urgency and need for immediate action in responding to Climate Change in implementing and managing an equitable, comprehensive response to climate change.  In its first year of operation, it established a timeline of priorities and expected outcomes to be adopted by and implemented by its members. These priorities include streamlining climate change issues into the national budget, creating a communications strategy, implementing a training program for all members of the Forum in order for knowledge to be cascaded to constituents.  Parliamentarians have a critical role to play in communication of these key messages, and these are all positive steps in raising public awareness.  

Collectively, it is our job to communicate the message of both the threats and opportunities of climate change to the Ugandan public.  It is important to engage each and every Ugandan on this issue, for them to understand how climate change affects them, and what they can do individually, and collectively, to mitigate against its effects.  The British Government has long campaigned in the UK to help the public understand what climate change is, how it affects not just the UK, but the world, and what individuals can do to play their part.  As a result, awareness and the level of support in the UK for action on climate change is high.

This evening’s event is designed to help equip we interested people in Uganda to  communicate the climate change message to the Ugandan public, by showing evidence of what could happen to Uganda in the coming years if climate change is not addressed now, and the opportunities, if it is. 

Africa Talks Climate (ATC) is a groundbreaking research and communications partnership project undertaken by the BBC World Service Trust and funded by the British Council.  The project is founded on the belief that those worst affected must be better informed in order to understand and effectively respond to their changing climate.  The research included discussions with over 1,000 interviews with people across Africa, including Uganda, including policy makers, religious leaders and civil society representatives. 

We hope you enjoy what we have to share with you this evening.  I also hope that you take away from it some clear, important and strong messages that you can use in your work on climate change.  To help you with that, copies of the DFID report will be available to you at the end of the evening.