CLIMATE CHANGE

Uganda has a typically tropical climate with little variation in temperature throughout the year. Dis- tinctive wet and dry seasons characterise the an- nual climate for most of the country, except in the semi-arid north east.6

However, the country is vul-

nerable to climate change, a phenomenon that is growing in importance globally. There is scientific consensus that accelerated global climatic change is attributable to human activities.7

Impacts resulting

from climate change include alteration of weath- er patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather, alteration of rainfall leading to increased risk of droughts and floods, and disturbing effects on the stability of ecosystems leading to increased likelihood of species migration and species extinc- tions, as well as negative impacts on food security.

Climate change in Uganda threatens to frustrate poverty eradication programmes and the achieve- ment of the Millennium Development Goals. Cli- mate change may undo decades of development efforts through destruction of infrastructure, property and lives. Climate change in Uganda will continue to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, landslides and heat waves.

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