By Mugisha Nteyi Imam
Worth Noting:
- Major economic justice question may arise as we head to energy shift, First, is our government ready to create policies that incentivize companies to invest in training programs for workers transitioning from fossil fuel industries I mean a human rights based approach and Secondly, is government willingness to fund research aimed to developing technologies that would allow for cleaner extraction practices with fewer negative impacts on workers’ health?
- Inter-generational equity transition must be mindful for future generation access to clean air, water and healthy environment this means taking action now to mitigate climate change and reduce our carbon footprints and this will be through investing in policies like carbon taxes ,investing in oil and gas assets that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Uganda is shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, which will require a huge financing and significant reorganization of the energy infrastructure, however this transition raises major ethical dilemmas related to power, wealth, Risk, vulnerability and resilience that must be addressed and these must be navigated in order to achieve a sustainable future for ourselves and future generation to build a just transition towards renewable and there is no doubt that Uganda must have energy transition. However, it must be a just transition and as Ugandans we must be firm and unapologetic while rejecting fanciful theories that are only keeping us poorer to me we must have a unified, strong and common voice when it comes to energy transition and it’s not that we value our energy security to our climate but rather the approach used.
As a country, we need to reorganize our energy infrastructure because the reality is energy transition presents a host of ethical dilemmas that must be addressed if we are to create a sustainable future for ourselves and future generation, transition has far reaching implication for Uganda because if we are to do reality checks the way we produce and consume energy affects our environment, economy, health, security, culture and politics. By transitioning to renewable sources of energy like wind, solar, hydroelectricity or geothermal power instead of relying on non-renewable sources such as coal and oil based products we can reduce our carbon footprints and mitigate the effects of climate change
However, this transition requires a heavy financing and at an organization level we believe if we use part of oil revenues to facilitate energy transition investment in infrastructure and technology to make it feasible on large scale for our economy. Additionally, it raises complex ethical dilemmas that must be addressed for us to ensure equitable and just transition for example the environmental justice must be at heart especially when decommissioning fossil fuel plants like the east African crude oil pipeline (EACOP) and such projects must have minimal impact on wild life i.e environmental social impact assessments must be thoroughly respected
Major economic justice question may arise as we head to energy shift, First, is our government ready to create policies that incentivize companies to invest in training programs for workers transitioning from fossil fuel industries I mean a human rights based approach and Secondly, is government willingness to fund research aimed to developing technologies that would allow for cleaner extraction practices with fewer negative impacts on workers’ health?
Inter-generational equity transition must be mindful for future generation access to clean air, water and healthy environment this means taking action now to mitigate climate change and reduce our carbon footprints and this will be through investing in policies like carbon taxes ,investing in oil and gas assets that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and all this about corporate responsibility where companies must act ethically during transition by being transparent about environmental impacts and companies disclosing information about their carbon footprints
Three critical energy transition approaches must be observed as Uganda takes a step ahead,
Societal approach is very key as it focuses on systematic change at the societal level because this involves creating policies and regulations that promote equity and justice during the transition process forex ample creating a law requiring all business operate sustainably then the Individual approach as such focuses on individual actions contributing towards a more ethical transition like using public transport instead of personal vehicles, installing solar panel onto homes and thirdly The corporate approach and this focuses on corporate responsibility during the transition process like companies investing funds in research aimed at developing better storage technologies
Conclusion, the ethical dilemmas presented by energy transition are complex and multifaceted but by taking an ethical approach, we can create a more just and sustainable future for ourselves and future generation
By: Mugisha.Nteyi Imam
Twitter @imammugisha
Director at youth concern on environment and development (YCED)
