Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability
Bioenergy remains Uganda’s dominant energy source, yet its environmental sustainability impacts remain dispersed and sparsely documented, limiting informed policy development. This study addresses this gap by applying eight Environmental Sustainability Indicators (ESIs) from the Global Bioenergy Par...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier Ltd.
2025
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/3034 |
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| _version_ | 1856816795554414592 |
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| author | Sekajja, Robert Kakebe Nabuuma, Betty Lubwama, Michael Kanyamumba, Liberty |
| author_facet | Sekajja, Robert Kakebe Nabuuma, Betty Lubwama, Michael Kanyamumba, Liberty |
| author_sort | Sekajja, Robert Kakebe |
| collection | KAB-DR |
| description | Bioenergy remains Uganda’s dominant energy source, yet its environmental sustainability impacts remain dispersed and sparsely documented, limiting informed policy development. This study addresses this gap by applying eight Environmental Sustainability Indicators (ESIs) from the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP), covering greenhouse gas emissions, soil and water impacts, biodiversity, land-use change, wood harvest levels, and air pollution. Data were synthesized from peer-reviewed literature and grey sources using the GBEP methodological framework. Findings reveal that woody biomass demand significantly exceeds sustainable supply, accelerating deforestation and forest degradation, while reliance on traditional bioenergy combustion drives indoor air pollution with serious public health risks. Uganda’s largely informal bioenergy sector, coupled with limited geospatially referenced data on biomass distribution and land-use change, constrains the accuracy of assessments. Despite these limitations, the study represents the first integrated application of the GBEP ESIs framework for evaluating Uganda’s bioenergy-environment nexus to date. It benchmarks specific indicator performances in Uganda against regional and global standards, highlights critical sustainability gaps, and underscores the urgency of adopting stronger governance, ICT-enabled monitoring, financing mechanisms, and coherent institutional frameworks. By establishing an evidence base, the study supports policy reforms and the transition toward modern, sustainable bioenergy systems aligned with Uganda’s climate and development goals. |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:idr.kab.ac.ug:20.500.12493-3034 |
| institution | KAB-DR |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Elsevier Ltd. |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oai:idr.kab.ac.ug:20.500.12493-30342025-12-17T00:00:40Z Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability Sekajja, Robert Kakebe Nabuuma, Betty Lubwama, Michael Kanyamumba, Liberty Bioenergy exploitation Energy transition ESIs GBEP Governance Bioenergy remains Uganda’s dominant energy source, yet its environmental sustainability impacts remain dispersed and sparsely documented, limiting informed policy development. This study addresses this gap by applying eight Environmental Sustainability Indicators (ESIs) from the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP), covering greenhouse gas emissions, soil and water impacts, biodiversity, land-use change, wood harvest levels, and air pollution. Data were synthesized from peer-reviewed literature and grey sources using the GBEP methodological framework. Findings reveal that woody biomass demand significantly exceeds sustainable supply, accelerating deforestation and forest degradation, while reliance on traditional bioenergy combustion drives indoor air pollution with serious public health risks. Uganda’s largely informal bioenergy sector, coupled with limited geospatially referenced data on biomass distribution and land-use change, constrains the accuracy of assessments. Despite these limitations, the study represents the first integrated application of the GBEP ESIs framework for evaluating Uganda’s bioenergy-environment nexus to date. It benchmarks specific indicator performances in Uganda against regional and global standards, highlights critical sustainability gaps, and underscores the urgency of adopting stronger governance, ICT-enabled monitoring, financing mechanisms, and coherent institutional frameworks. By establishing an evidence base, the study supports policy reforms and the transition toward modern, sustainable bioenergy systems aligned with Uganda’s climate and development goals. Kabale University Directorate of Research and Grants [Grant No. PI012/5/2022–2023] and the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF Round 4, 2022/23), 2025-12-16T15:28:16Z 2025-12-16T15:28:16Z 2025 Article Sekajja, R. K., Nabuuma, B., Lubwama, M., & Kanyamumba, L. (2025). Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability. Elsevier Ltd, 84, 104713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2025.104713 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/3034 en application/pdf Elsevier Ltd. |
| spellingShingle | Bioenergy exploitation Energy transition ESIs GBEP Governance Sekajja, Robert Kakebe Nabuuma, Betty Lubwama, Michael Kanyamumba, Liberty Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| title | Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| title_full | Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| title_short | Assessment of Uganda’s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| title_sort | assessment of uganda s bioenergy sector for environmental sustainability |
| topic | Bioenergy exploitation Energy transition ESIs GBEP Governance |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/3034 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sekajjarobertkakebe assessmentofugandasbioenergysectorforenvironmentalsustainability AT nabuumabetty assessmentofugandasbioenergysectorforenvironmentalsustainability AT lubwamamichael assessmentofugandasbioenergysectorforenvironmentalsustainability AT kanyamumbaliberty assessmentofugandasbioenergysectorforenvironmentalsustainability |