There must be alternative Incentives to clean Cooking and lighting technologies to help and address the causes rather than symptoms
KAMPALA – In May 2024, President Museveni issued an executive order No.3 which among others banned the production and trade of Charcoal in Northern Uganda and the ban has since created energy scarcity for cooking in urban areas and hence price surge in charcoal prices per sack from 80,000 Ugx to 160,000 Ugx. The M24 Executive order had good intentions of reducing deforestation and protecting the environment. The police, the army and local council units were put on standby to enforce the presidential directive, however the charcoal ban paradox needs further understanding, guidance and government commitment toharness climate change initiatives and short of that, a marestatement or a directive on charcoal production and trade will be seen a statement of unpredictability and wishful thinking by many. The government must come up with anational charcoal strategy if the M24 Executive order is to have a purpose and positive results.
Uganda faces serious and worsening linked problems of unsustainable energy supply and environmental problems that significantly undermine economic development potential. Its dependency rates on charcoal and firewood isalready among the highest in the region. Lack of alternativeenergy sources coupled with a rapid growing population, charcoal and firewood remain the highest source of lighting and cooking for an average poor and the drivers of charcoal production and use are many, complex, and cross-sectoral. They include rural and urban poverty, a readily-availableurban market for charcoal tied to a lack of reliable, affordable alternatives, and weak law enforcement.Charcoal in Uganda is largely an urban fuel used by over 63 .3% of all households nationally and over 45% of urbanhouseholds in 2023. Still, charcoal supports livelihoods of many rural and urban communities and it bears thedisproportionate burden on deforestation, reduced wood supply and environmental degradation. To date, President Museveni’s Executive Order has focused narrowly on prohibition of charcoal production, which has promoted illegality in production, transportation and marketing.
What Must be done ; Government must Promotealternative Household Cooking Fuels for effective control of illegal charcoal and reduction of dependence on biomass fuels is impractical without affordable, reliable, and readily available alternative energy sources, along with private sector involvement in energy production and distribution, and fiscal incentives to enhance affordability of promising alternative energy sources, focusing on: Electricity and strengthen the electricity supply industry and make it more efficient and capable of providing adequate, affordable and reliable electricity supply that enables industrialization , rural transformation, sustainable economic development and wealth creation: Government should provide tax incentives to companies that import and manufacture clean cooking technologies such that they are made affordable for households that have high demand for charcoal; Increase Supply for Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and Promote adoption of incentivesto purchase and refill LPGs for urban and semi-urban domestic and institutional/industrial cooking and heating; Promote briquettes and pellets and Foster the development of commercially viable briquette/ pellet production, with market linkages to proximate industrial and institutional buyers (e.g. hospitals, schools, etc.); Promote us of Biogas and to facilitate promotion of tubular biogas digesters that utilize sewerage/human waste to meet institutional cooking/heating needs. At least initially the focus should be on public institutions with large populations (e.g., prisons, schools, hospitals, etc.); Promote Adoption of Fuel-Efficient Cookstove Technologies, the objective of this is to promote the adoption of improved charcoal and firewood cookstoves for household cooking and heating in urban areas where the large majority of the population purchase (instead of collect) fuelwood. In rural areas, adoption of more fuel-efficient cookstoves remains quite low (although this is variable from one region to another). Urban residents who use charcoal almost exclusively must adopt to newer, more efficient charcoal cookstoves and Increasingadoption of fuel-efficient charcoal and firewood cookstoves presents the most immediate option for slowing deforestation and forest degradation ; Promote Sustainable Wood Production and Firewood harvested for commercial purposes, though this is very challenging situation and can only be met by focused efforts that significantly increase and sustain wood production for biomass energy at scale and hence, the primary objective would be to promote large-scale/ commercial cultivation of fast-growing tree species and/or alternative feedstock suitable for charcoal and commercial firewood production, through concessions or other appropriate means. lastly for Law Enforcement to be successful, there must be reduced demand for charcoal but, so long as there is still high demand for Charcoal due to lack of affordable alternative sources of cooking, enforcement shall be costly, ineffective and not sustainable.
Authored by DENIS TUKAHIKAHO PhD –Carbon Credit Farmer & Ag. President.
The Society for Environment and Climate Finance Professionals.
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