International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume V, Issue XII, December 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Charcoal Burning and Climate Change in Uganda: A Legal Perspective

Okurut Emmanuel
Department of Public and International Law, Gulu University

Abstract:-This paper reviewed the legal perspective that govern charcoal burning and climate change in Uganda. The paper unveiled legal loopholes in the current legal framework that is causing the prevalence of tree cutting for charcoal business in Uganda. The high demand for charcoal products has forced majority of the poor to engage in this Lucratic business but at the expense of climate change. So far several parts of the country are grappling with cases of droughts and floods hence a looming famine awaits and in some areas of the country, people are dying of the same. This paper recommends that unregulated tree cutting for charcoal business be streamlined by coming up with stringent policies and laws that can equally address this pandemic.

Keywords: Charcoal burning, climate change, legal framework, forest conservation, Uganda

I. Introduction

‘Climate Change, the most uttered environmental term of present time has been used to refer to the change in modern climate brought predominantly by human activities [10]. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [30] defined Climate Change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”. On the other hand, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [34] defines climate change as “any change in climate over time whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity”. Thus in the environmental discourse climate change is mainly characterized by the change in modern climate augmented by human activities. And the adverse human activities for example burning fossil fuel, deforestation et cetera, are considered likely to bring change in some climatic aspects. According to Uganda National Climate Change Policy (2015), climate change refers to “induced human activities that change the atmosphere’s composition (e.g., burning fossil fuels) or the land’s surface (e.g., deforestation, reforestation, urbanization, desertification, etc.).”