Economic assessment of the impacts of climate change in Uganda

This report on The Economic Assessment of Climate Change Impacts provides information on the current “adaptation deficit” present in Uganda and the negative consequences and costs that climate variability already has on the Ugandan economy and is expected to have under future climate change scenarios. Economic assessments of the impacts of climate change were conducted at the national level for selected sectors, and detailed case studies were carried out in five localities at the local level: Kampala (focusing on infrastructure), Kabale and Tororo (health), Karamoja (agriculture and livestock), Mount Elgon (coffee) and the Mpanga River Basin (water and electricity). The national-level assessment was conducted under two of the latest Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) developed as part of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The overall objective was to provide policy makers and international development partners in Uganda with the evidence base on the economic impacts of climate change to mobilise greater investment for adaptation in climate-sensitive sectors. The study also aimed to increase the capacity of government officials to use evidence on the economic impacts of climate change in development and investment planning.

To this end, Metroeconomica calculated the costs of climate change impacts in various sectors at national and regional level and analysed the costs and benefits of adaptation, including the energy sector, and contributed to the drafting of the report in English, including the conclusions and recommendations.