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The conventional challenges of urban environmental management have resulted in immense environmental effects such as degradation of green spaces and increased green house gase (GHG) emissions. This is evident from the poor management of waste; emitting methane gas if it is organic or emitting carbon dioxide gas if it is burnt thus accounting for about 3% of GHGs further more, road transport emits more than 70% of GHGs; buildings accounting for 30% of GHGs more so construction itself since cement is a high emission construction material compared to wood (renewable material).
With such impacts of climate change on urban areas, it is well known and documented that the urban poor are at most risk since they live in the most hazardous urban environments such as flood plains. The increased urban population growth rate due to migration flows backed by logical responses to changing patterns of economic opportunity has increased informal settlements thence increasing vulnerability. The most vulnerability faced by the urban poor is that governments may demolish their settlements to clear them off sites deemed to be vulnerable to impacts of climate change with very inadequate or no provision for finding alternative accommodation that meets their needs. As for developing countries, adaptation to climate change is already happening though striking. In Kampala city, households have raised beds by adding bricks on the floor to keep their bedding materials free from getting wet incase of flooding.
In developed cities, people are being protected against the risks associated with climate change impacts through public investment in infrastructure, yet in developing cities such as Kampala, this has been left to the private sector that have focused at high and middle income earners. In poorest countries, adaptation has and is a matter of self help thence the need for slum upgrading through affordable housing units.

Robert Bakiika
Environmental Management for Livelihood Improvement
Bwaise Facility [EMLI Bwaise Facility]
P.O.Box 3430 Kampala – Uganda
Email: info@bwaisefacility.org
www.bwaisefacility.org