The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Simon Stiell, has called for a decisive shift from climate pledges to large-scale implementation, arguing that a new era of global action could provide economic stability and development opportunities for countries like Uganda.
Speaking in Istanbul on Thursday, Stiell said the world is entering what he described as a "third era" of climate action -- moving beyond negotiations and target-setting to the rapid scaling up of clean energy, climate finance and resilience projects.
"Climate action can deliver stability in an unstable world," Stiell said, adding that clean energy expansion and climate adaptation are no longer peripheral environmental concerns but central pillars of economic security and national development.
For Uganda, where prolonged droughts, flash floods and erratic rainfall patterns have increasingly disrupted agriculture and infrastructure, that shift could unlock long-awaited financial and technological support to strengthen resilience and accelerate economic transformation.
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Stiell noted that global investment in clean energy has grown dramatically over the past decade, rising from about $200 billion annually to more than $2 trillion.
Renewable energy, he said, has now overtaken coal as the world's largest source of electricity generation.
That transition is reshaping global economic dynamics, particularly for developing nations with abundant untapped renewable resources such as solar, hydro and geothermal energy.
Uganda already generates the bulk of its electricity from hydropower, including major installations such as the Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station and Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station.
However, energy access remains uneven, especially in rural areas where millions still lack reliable electricity.
According to United Nations estimates, more than 700 million people globally remain without access to power, the majority of them in Africa.
Expanding solar mini-grids and off-grid solutions in Uganda could help close that gap, lower household energy costs and stimulate small-scale enterprises, particularly in agro-processing and rural manufacturing.
With agriculture employing more than 60 percent of Uganda's population, access to affordable and reliable energy is critical to improving productivity and reducing post-harvest losses.
Despite the surge in global clean energy investment, developing countries continue to face significant obstacles in accessing climate finance. High borrowing costs, limited technical capacity and underdeveloped project pipelines often prevent vulnerable nations from tapping into available global funds.
Stiell called for a "massive surge" in climate finance directed toward adaptation and resilience, including irrigation systems, flood control infrastructure and drought-resistant agriculture.
Uganda's National Adaptation Plan outlines billions of dollars in projected investment needs over the next decade. However, financing gaps remain wide, raising concerns about the country's ability to protect vulnerable communities from escalating climate shocks.
Multilateral development banks, bilateral donors and private sector investors will play a central role in bridging that gap, Stiell said, emphasizing the need for blended finance models that reduce risk and attract capital to emerging markets.
Beyond environmental concerns, Stiell framed the energy transition as a matter of economic and geopolitical stability. He argued that renewable energy reduces exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets, which have driven inflationary pressures and economic disruption worldwide.
"Climate cooperation is an antidote to the chaos," he said.
Uganda has not historically been heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports for power generation, but global fuel price volatility still affects transportation costs, food prices and overall inflation. Diversifying energy systems and strengthening domestic renewable capacity could cushion the economy against external shocks.
The UN climate chief also warned that failure to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels would intensify climate-related disasters, undermine food systems and heighten economic risk -- trends already visible in parts of East Africa where extreme weather events have become more frequent.
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Attention is now turning to upcoming global climate negotiations, including COP31, scheduled to take place in Türkiye.
The outcome of those talks will determine whether developing countries receive the scale of investment needed to both mitigate emissions and adapt to climate impacts.
For Uganda and similar economies, analysts say the stakes are high. Effective mobilization of climate finance and project implementation could transform climate vulnerability into economic opportunity. Failure to secure meaningful support, however, could deepen fiscal strain and development setbacks.
As Stiell emphasized, the next phase of climate action will be judged not by promises but by projects delivered on the ground -- a shift that could shape Uganda's economic trajectory for decades to come.
