The latest United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) held in Egypt once again highlighted the deep divisions between the Global North and South on critical issues of climate justice. As leaders deliberated on mechanisms for loss and damage financing and reducing emissions, activists and representatives from the developing world urged action to address the already severe impacts of climate change faced by vulnerable communities. Among the many voices calling for support was Uganda, an East African nation banking on major oil projects to fund growth and development while balancing urgent environmental concerns.
Uganda finds itself at the complex intersection of climate change impacts, sustainable development goals, energy security, and economic progress. The discovery of over 6.5 billion barrels of oil reserves in the Albertine Graben along Lake Albert has been hailed as a potential economic boon for the nation. With commercial oil production expected to commence in 2025, Uganda aims to transition from an agricultural economy and leverage its oil wealth to drive modernization. However, achieving this vision sustainably and equitably remains fraught with challenges.
The Crude Reality: Oil’s Impact on Communities and Livelihoods
While oil promises future prosperity, many local communities in the Albertine region have already experienced immense upheaval. The crude reality of displacement and disruption of livelihoods is the first burden borne by ordinary Ugandans in the march for black gold.
In the village of Kakindo in Hoima district, the agricultural community received eviction notices as developers moved in to build infrastructure for Uganda’s oil projects. Generations old settlements were razed to make way for industrial facilities. “We used to grow all kinds of crops here but they destroyed everything,” laments subsistence farmer Ainembabzi Kyomuhendo, whose house was demolished overnight without notice.
Like Kakindo, the fishing village of Kaiso Tonya faced evictions as land was acquired for oil waste treatment plants near Lake Albert. The government claims the evictions are voluntary and that “no one is being forced out,” but activists allege a lack of consultation and adequate compensation. With homes destroyed and access to fishing grounds cut off, communities have seen their means of subsistence obliterated.
For women, the disruptions are even more severe as they take on more unpaid work and walked longer distances to find essential resources. “I have to walk two hours now to get firewood,” says widow and mother of three Santa Akello, who can no longer access the forest near her old home. Children also bear the brunt as families struggle to survive, facing increased hunger, poverty and lack of access to education.
As oil developments expand, advocates estimate at least 50,000 people will be displaced, losing homes, farms, gravesites and cultural heritage. The government touts its resettlement action plans, promising houses, amenities and cash compensation. But affected citizens claim many pledges remain unfulfilled years later. Land disputes and lawsuits over unfair compensation abound, pitting ordinary Ugandans against powerful oil interests.
Fueling Mistrust: The Role of Oil Companies
International oil giants have also come under fire over their conduct in acquiring land and interacting with communities. French energy firm TotalEnergies, which holds the largest stake in Uganda’s oil fields, has faced criticism over discrepancies in the number of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) reported in different forums.
In 2012, Total stated at a CSR forum that compensation had been paid to 31,000 PAPs around its oil fields. But at a meeting with banks providing project finance, it claimed only 5,000 PAPs required compensation. The lower figure drew outrage from activists saying it was a deliberate underreporting aimed at reducing liabilities. Total insists its engagement adheres to Ugandan laws and international standards. But mistrust runs deep as stories of forced evictions and insufficient compensation abound.
Monitoring groups like Friends of the Earth have called on Total’s shareholders and financiers to demand accountability and ceasing operations where human rights violations occur. But with over $10 billion already invested in Uganda’s oil, these demands may ring hollow. Uganda’s government has also aggressively defended the oil projects, dismissing environmental criticisms as “unwarranted and malicious.”
The allegations around land acquisition reveal deeper problems of transparency and underscore the power imbalance between local communities and multinational companies. Addressing these will be key to ensuring Uganda’s oil benefits the country, not just foreign corporate interests.
The Bigger Picture: Oil in the Context of Climate Change
Looking beyond local impacts, Uganda’s oil rush has broader implications in the context of the climate catastrophe. As the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns of exceeding 1.5°C of warming in the next decades, there is growing urgency around transitioning rapidly from fossil fuels. Campaigners thus accuse Uganda of charting the wrong course by embracing oil, favoring short-term gains over long-term planetary health. But Uganda counters by asking why it should forgo the same fossil-fueled growth path taken by Western nations.
This dilemma goes to the heart of debates around equity, justice and differentiated responsibility in climate action. With negligible historical emissions, Uganda argues exploitation of its oil reserves is only fair to advance development. But vulnerable communities paying the price raise questions about who really benefits amid unabated emissions. Climate campaigners emphasize that renewable energy can leapfrog fossil fuel dependence, protecting people and planet. But Uganda lacks the finance and technology transfer to actualize this, underscoring the need for assistance.
As things stand, Uganda is pushing ahead with plans to ramp up oil production from 2025 onwards. But potential shifts in oil economics, growing calls for divestment and issues of waste management and pollution may complicate viability. Environmental groups are already challenging permits granted without adequate environmental assessments. Litigation, public pressure and economics may yet imperil Uganda’s ambitious oil plans.
Where Justice Comes In: Perspectives on Equity and Climate Solutions
The wrangling over Uganda’s oil speaks to broader debates on how vulnerable nations can develop sustainably and equitably amid climate change impacts. Loss and damage is projected to cost developing countries $580 billion per year by 2030. Uganda’s own NDCs estimate over $500 million in adaptation needs by 2030 across water, agriculture and infrastructure sectors.
Realizing such finance relies on the cooperation of richer polluting nations. But the UN process has so far failed to mobilize anywhere close to the support required. COP27 established a loss and damage funding facility, but operationalization could take years. Where will financing come from? What Principles will guide its allocation? These questions remain up in the air even as climate damage escalates.
For Uganda, the lack of external support leaves oil revenues as one of few options for economic development. While acknowledging the flaws in its rush for black gold, it maintains fossil fuels remain vital over the medium-term to lift millions out of poverty. But ensuring oil income benefits ordinary Ugandans requires government accountability.
Environmental defenders argue Ugandans cannot be held hostage to foreign oil interests displacing communities and destroying ecosystems. The benefits of renewable energy, eco-tourism and nature protection may exceed those of oil, if given a chance. But realizing this requires technology transfer and funding from the Global North that has so far been insufficient.
What is certain is that communities on the frontlines of climate impacts cannot keep paying the price of inaction. From Uganda and beyond, the cries for climate justice ring clear – the lives and livelihoods of millions in the Global South depend on it. If words at the UN must matter, concrete funding and equitable policies to stop loss and damage must manifest. The world’s collective conscience depends on it.
Conclusion
Uganda’s rush for oil wealth reflects the difficult tradeoffs faced by developing nations seeking prosperity in the age of climate crisis. As ordinary citizens bear the brunt of displacement and environmental harm, the profits appear skewed in favor of the powerful. Uganda’s government promises oil will bring progress for all, but skeptical communities have heard such pledges before.
Ensuring climate and social justice will require balanced policies that deliver gains locally and globally. This means integrating environmental safeguards, transparent governance of oil revenues, community-driven development, and investment in green alternatives. No solution can be one-size-fits-all.
But the onus cannot rest solely on nations like Uganda with miniscule historical emissions. Concrete, equitable steps by the world’s biggest polluters are indispensable to fund adaptation and foster low-carbon transitions globally. The tireless activism of citizens in the Global South and North must unite to hold leaders accountable for real climate justice.
Uganda’s oil rush reflects the unfinished business of our collective climate fight. The choices we make today will reverberate for generations to come. Blazing an equitable and sustainable path requires urgent, radical collaboration across borders, interests and generations. The time for action is now.
Nilionanini 
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