Vanice Mirembe (R) has urged Ugandans to embrace the use of clean energy
The Manager of Conservation Education Awareness at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Ms Vanice Mirembe, has urged Ugandans to embrace the use of clean energy in order to combat the rapid environmental degradation caused by deforestation across the country.
“Most Ugandans, about 75 percent, are still using firewood; the other percentage, they are using electricity, which is very costly, and a very small percentage, not more than a percent, are right now using clean energy in the form of gas, briquettes, and other methods,” she said.
Ms Mirembe made the remarks at the first Uganda Wildlife Authority clean energy exhibition, targeting schools at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC-CA) on Friday.
“Currently, there is a lot of pressure on our forests, on the environment, on protected areas, because most of the neighboring communities have cut down all the vegetation and trees for firewood.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that the public knows about clean energy to reduce the amount of pressure mounted on the forests,” she said.
She added, “When we start at a young age, children get to know that you can use briquettes, they’ll go back home and talk to their parents, and also grow up into great conservationists, knowing that they have to understand the need to reduce pressure on the environment”.
Ms Mirembe further said UWA is carrying out sensitization of communities around protected areas to resort to energy-saving stoves and various methods that use less energy than firewood.
“Currently, we have MOUs with communities around protected areas; they are looking for firewood every day, but it is not sustainable. Climate change is here, with all its negative impacts. Some of them come looking for firewood, and the best thing is to tell them to pick the invasive species, turn them into briquettes,” she said.
Ms Mirembe noted that UWA has projects in communities around protected areas supporting them in the construction of energy cooking stoves, making briquettes, among other interventions, which has led to a drop in the number of people depending on firewood in the protected areas.
Mr Francis Ruhinirwa, a conservation education officer at UWEC-CA, said the clean energy exhibition is aimed at creating awareness about the alternative fuel possibilities in Uganda instead of using firewood.
“The majority of our visitors here are actually school groups, which use firewood as a source of energy. We estimate that a school comprised of about 500 learners can use up the fuel of a term that is equivalent to possibly an acre of firewood. Now, if we have about 40,000 schools, that is a lot of forest degradation that we are experiencing,” he said.
Mr Ruhinirwa said the exhibition, which showcased biofuels, solar energy, eco and fuel-saving stoves, electric bikes, and cookers, is set to become an annual event to increase awareness of alternative fuels aimed at reducing the amount of firewood that is being used, especially in schools.