Uganda's environment parliament gives communities more say

DW (English)

The Environment Parliament is an innovative response to the climate crisis, empowering people and creating dialog between communities and Uganda’s government.

Transcript

00:00The opening ceremony of a parliamentary session in Kampala.

00:05But it's not your normal kind.

00:07Activists, academics, community leaders and entrepreneurs

00:10are gathering for the third annual Environment Parliament in Uganda.

00:15While this town hall forum cannot pass laws,

00:18it can prompt those who do and hold them to account.

00:22Speaker Belinda Ramanya wants it to spark change.

00:25Climate action needs a multidisciplinary action.

00:32Regardless of your professional background,

00:35regardless of the sector you're in,

00:37you could be saying, I am in the informal sector.

00:39How do I come into play?

00:42Each one of us is the key player,

00:44regardless of being young or old.

00:48But it is a case for each one of you

00:51to think and develop innovative solutions.

00:56One of the attendees who is doing exactly that

00:58is Martha Akori, a student and social entrepreneur.

01:03She lives in Chireka, one of Kampala's most crowded suburbs.

01:07Trash lies around everywhere here.

01:10It is a day sore and also causes many problems for residents.

01:14That's why she started a business

01:16that makes slippers and sandals using recycled materials.

01:20From this, this post of single-use plastic bag,

01:25we can actually get this fabric,

01:27which fabric we can cut according to measurements to make a shoe.

01:34And this saves like 20 square feet of land from plastic pollution.

01:38For Mathara and her shoe maker,

01:40recycling creates an income.

01:41She wants her business to be an example of how rubbish

01:45can be reused in many ways.

01:48But Uganda produces 600,000 tons of waste every year

01:52and only a fraction is recycled.

01:56Most of it goes to landfills,

01:58many in the middle of residential areas.

02:00The Chitezi landfill north of Kampala

02:02is no longer in active use.

02:05Toxic runoff seeps into water and soil,

02:07a danger to thousands.

02:10Last year, heavy rains also triggered a collapse

02:13that buried several homes.

02:15More than 50 people died,

02:17among them a three-month-old baby

02:19and two of Martha's friends.

02:22The Environment Parliament called the incident

02:23one of the worst environmental disasters

02:26in Uganda's recent history.

02:29Local politicians and officials were called to account.

02:33Martha believes that simple, sustainable solutions

02:35and a focus on recycling could stop this happening again.

02:41We have talent within us and we can fix the situation.

02:46That it's not just writing on paper,

02:48but we can do and walk the talk.

02:51Uganda already has an environment police,

02:53a wildlife court and other specialized bodies

02:56like the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

02:58They are also institutions designed

03:00to strengthen environmental governance and conservation.

03:03They have helped protect endangered species

03:05like mountain gorillas and elephants.

03:09But despite all these efforts,

03:11the country has lost half its forests

03:13in just four decades.

03:15Deforestation fuels global warming,

03:17releasing millions of CO2.

03:20Three million hectares,

03:21approximately the size of Lesotho,

03:23swallowed up by logging and farming.

03:26In 2023,

03:28a government index ranked the environment sector

03:30among the most corrupt,

03:32with losses exceeding $700 million a year.

03:35A topic that is also addressed during the session,

03:39along with exploitation of natural resources.

03:41It's a significant source of income for the country,

03:44but one that comes at the cost of the environment.

03:47Some dare to ask,

03:48where this money actually ends up?

03:50Of course,

03:51we keep saying that

03:52the environment sector is underfunded.

03:56But the question is,

03:57how are we using

03:58what we call the meager resources?

04:01Are they managed very well?

04:03The Environment Parliament raises issues

04:05often ignored in the main parliament.

04:08But after attending,

04:10Martha has mixed feelings.

04:12With the discussion today,

04:14I realized the presentations were majorly theoretical.

04:17We have seen year over,

04:19yeah, this is the third time

04:20we are having the environmental parliament.

04:22And I'm like,

04:22really, can't we come up with more practical things now

04:25and support people that are into innovation?

04:28But Martha hopes that

04:29if leaders listen to people's concerns more in forums like these,

04:34Uganda will experience real change.

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