The Role of Indicators of Sustainable Development for Climate Change Policy and Analysis: A Ugandan Perspective

1
The Role of Indicators of Sustainable Development
for Climate Change Policy and Analysis A Ugandan
Perspective

• Joseph Enyimu
• Economist
• Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic
  Development (MFPED)
• Uganda

2
Outline

• Background
• Contextual Issues for SD in Uganda
• SD Indicators Gaps Challenges
• Climate Change in Uganda
• Way Forward

3
Background

• Uganda heading to its 4th generation PRSP
• Need for climate change response independent
  evaluation of the implementation of the 1st to
  3rd PRSP
• Changing structure of the economy- share of
  agriculture in GDP 62 (1985/86) to 17
  (2007/08) - share of services in GDP 30
  (1985/86) to 56 (2007/08)- share of industry in
  GDP 8 (1985/86) to 27 (2007/08)
• Highly ENR-dependent economy- 70 of labour
  force employed in agriculture sector

4
Contextual Issues for SD in Uganda

• High Population Growth Rate (3.2)- Soil
  degradation - depletion of vital natural
  resources
• Limited Energy Options- unsustainable use of
  forests heavy reliance on wood-fuel (90 of hh)
• Human Settlement Urbanisation- river bank
  settlements causing silting of rivers and lakes-
  wetland encroachment degradation- poor waste
  disposal and management
• Climate Change

5
SD Indicators Gaps Challenges

• Monitoring convergence of economic, social and
  environmental policy objectives
• Broadening the scope of development theory
  disproportionately greater focus on economic
  development and short/medium-term social
  stability- conversation of natural forest land
  into commercial farm land- sustainable logging
  of forests
• Ineffective pricing of development interventions
  absence of the opportunity cost of economic
  development

6
Climate Change in Uganda

• Societal awareness Low
• Policy priority status Low
• Statistical measures Lacking
• Expressions
• Rise in crop failures due to increasingly
  unpredictable weather patterns
• Rising incidents of weather-related disasters
• Social conflicts arising from land disputes
  associated with declining soil productivity,
  depletion of livelihood supporting natural
  resource

7
Conclusion

• For ISD for Climate Change to play a role in
  climate change policy and analysis in Uganda,
  there is need to
• Generally- demonstrate more relevance to the
  national agenda of poverty reduction, economic
  development social stability
• Specifically - make the empirical link between
  climate change and social conflict - an SD
  deficit indicator- mainstream the opportunity
  cost (in terms of ENR) of economic and social
  development into the national accounts system