Environmental governance and climate change in Africa

The document examines the intersection of environmental governance and climate change in Africa, highlighting the continent's high vulnerability due to low adaptive capacity and 'multiple stresses'. It analyzes specific case studies on land degradation and gender in Uganda, informal institutions in the Lake Victoria Basin, and renewable energy policies in Nigeria and Uganda. It further critiques the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) from an African perspective, suggesting reforms to increase participation and sustainable development. Finally, it argues for a human rights-based approach to climate mitigation and adaptation to protect the most vulnerable populations.

• Africa is identified as one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change, a condition worsened by 'multiple stresses' including endemic poverty, complex governance, and limited access to capital and technology.
• In East Africa, climate change impacts are primarily split between human impacts—affecting health, food security, and water access—and environmental impacts, such as sea level rise along the coast and biodiversity loss.
• In Uganda, there is a cause-and-effect relationship between gender roles, land degradation, and climate change, where patriarchal social constructs disempower women from contributing to sustainable land-use decisions.
• Local communities in the Lake Victoria Basin have developed effective informal strategies to cope with climate change, such as indigenous weather forecasting and specific rules for natural resource utilization.
• African Least Developed Countries (LDCs) face significant barriers in applying scientific climate data tools for adaptation due to high costs and a lack of technological and human resource capacity.
• Nigeria's transition to renewable energy is hindered by a lack of specific legislative and regulatory options to implement these technologies, despite the existence of general policies.
• The biofuels industry in Tanzania presents risks to food security and land tenure, with reports of local communities being displaced to make way for multinational investments.
• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is criticized for bypassing the least-developed African nations and favoring projects with low abatement costs over those with high sustainable development dividends.
• Proposed reforms for the CDM include shifting to a 'sectoral CDM' approach and introducing 'sector no-lose targets' to encourage larger-scale decarbonization and more inclusive participation.
• In Cameroon, the effectiveness of CDM forestry projects is limited by confusing land tenure policies and a lack of clear legal definitions regarding the ownership of carbon sequestration benefits.
• Uganda's regulatory framework for renewable energy CDM projects is generally adequate, but its effectiveness is undermined by non-legal limitations such as corruption, lack of political will, and inadequate funding.
• Climate change in Africa is viewed as a human rights issue, as it threatens the fundamental rights to life, water, food, and health, particularly for the most marginalized populations.
• Integrating international human rights standards into climate policies is argued to be essential for ensuring accountability and protecting the rights of the poor and vulnerable during mitigation and adaptation.

APA

Mwebaza, R., & Kotzé, L. J. (2009). Environmental governance and climate change in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono167.pdf

Chicago

Mwebaza, Rose, and Louis J Kotzé. Environmental governance and climate change in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono167.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mwebaza |first1=Rose |last2=Kotzé |first2=Louis J |title=Environmental governance and climate change in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono167.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mwebaza2009environmental, author = {Mwebaza, Rose and Kotzé, Louis J}, title = {{Environmental governance and climate change in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono167.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }