"Financing ruin is your obligation": Ugandan campaigner admonishes financiers to sever ties with TotalEnergies
In Uganda, Samuel Okulony, co-founder of the Environment Governance Institute, is leading a charge against TotalEnergies due to the environmental and social risks posed by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The 1,443-kilometre pipeline, planned to transport crude oil from Uganda through Tanzania to the port of Tanga for export, threatens significant environmental damage, including risks to water sources, wildlife habitats, and local communities' livelihoods.
Okulony, a graduate of Kyambogo University in Kampala, has spent more than a decade working on various environmental and local government projects in Uganda. His activism focuses on holding TotalEnergies accountable for the pipeline's potential negative effects and advocating for sustainable development alternatives that do not compromise the environment or people’s rights.
The pipeline cuts across Murchison Falls National Park, impacting biodiversity and tourism, and increasing human-wildlife conflict. Displaced elephants and hippos have entered communities, resulting in fatalities. The loss of biodiversity and increased human-wildlife conflict have affected safety in the area.
Many communities in the affected areas rely on fishing, and the loss of fishing rights due to resettlement is a significant source of food and income loss. The burden of these displacements is often disproportionately borne by women, who now struggle to feed their families.
The communities who have been displaced heavily value their land, as it is essential for their agricultural activities and food security. The displaced people have received inadequate compensation, according to Okulony.
In a recent development, Nordea, a major investor, has decided to cease purchasing new debt or shares in TotalEnergies, citing concerns over the EACOP project. Okulony travelled to Denmark to meet with Nordea's responsible investment team. As of October 2024, no Nordea funds will be increasing their exposure to TotalEnergies.
The US$10bn infrastructure project, more than a decade in the making, highlights the human and environmental costs associated with continued fossil fuel extraction. Uganda's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, contributing about a quarter of the nation's GDP and more than a third of its export earnings. The potential risks and impacts of the EACOP project underscore the need for sustainable development that balances economic growth with environmental and social considerations.
- Samuel Okulony, an environmental scientist, is advocating for sustainable development alternatives in Uganda, as he believes the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) poses significant environmental and social risks, threatening local communities' livelihoods, such as fishing and agriculture.
- In light of the potential negative impacts of the EACOP project, Nordea, a major finance institution, has decided to stop purchasing new debt or shares in TotalEnergies, citing concerns over the project's environmental and social risks.
- Okulony, in his pursuit of holding TotalEnergies accountable, has emphasized the need to balance economic growth with environmental and social considerations, arguing that continued fossil fuel extraction projects like the EACOP can have serious human and environmental costs.
