Appropriateness Of Early Warning Systems In The Management Of Climate Change Impacts In Mt. Elgon Region In Eastern Uganda

ABSTRACT

This study seeks to analyse the appropriateness of the Early Warning Systems (EWS) in the management of Climate change impacts in Uganda. The appropriateness of the EWS in this study is conceived as an independent variable while the management of Climate Change impacts is the dependent variable. The EWS shall be measured in terms of risk knowledge among the study population, availability of technical monitoring, and communication about the risk and the response capabilities of the concerned population (UNISDR, 2009).

The management of the impacts of Climate change calls for appropriate actions through Mitigation, preparedness, Relief assistance, and reconstruction. Thus, the study shall seek to establish the existence of the Plans for managing climate changes; community efforts to organize in preparation for climate changes, capacity to influence the implementation of activities to mitigate the impact of climate change and ability to control emergency activities for community recovery and reconstruction. The impacts of climate change shall refer to droughts, desertification, floods, soils erosion and all other climate change induced disasters and landslides that have rocked the globe and more so the population under study (Summers, 2009). The focus of this study shall be on the disasters that are frequent within the geographical scope of the study and shall seek to understand how both the independent and dependent variables interface and how these have acerbated or reduced risk.

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This introductory chapter unravels the background to the study where the historical, theoretical fundamental concepts as well as the context of the study are discussed. The historical is handled under global, African and Ugandan perspective. The chapter then states the problem, the purpose of the study, the objectives, research questions and hypotheses. It then covers the significance, scope of the study; justification and gives some operational definition of key terms as they will be used in the study.