On the one hand, the Vash Green Schools project, the #stopEACOP agenda, and The Rise Up Movement have had tangible implementations with quantifiable results that have been beneficial for the local Ugandan community. On the other hand, some set objectives are yet to be proven as fully implemented.
Rise Up Movement
The Rise Up Movement has been arguably successful in amplifying both African and Global South voices in the global climate context. Individuals participating in this movement are able to exchange their thoughts, ideas, and arguments, allowing African and Global South voices to increase their visibility and involvement in the global climate agenda. Through the movement, Nakate has been able to promote public awareness on the fact that, even though Africa produces a very small fraction of the global greenhouse gas emissions, climate change threatens to expose 118 million of the poorest Africans to drought, floods, and extreme heat by 2030. Additionally, Nakate was able to use the Rise Up Movement as a foundational ground for the implementation of the Vash Green Schools project, as well as publicly spread the campaign to save Congo’s rainforest. However, the Rise Up Movement has also made several ambitious promises in topics such as gender equality, climate justice, and sustainable solutions. The progress of implementation and level of success thereof is difficult to trace, particularly based on the information available.
On a national level, it provides a platform for young activists to raise their voices and share their concerns on climate change and how they affect the livelihoods of local communities. For instance, Aqlila Alwy, a Kenyan member of this movement raises concerns of how climate change has led to loss and damage of infrastructure and resources, which has affected her loved-ones. Overall, women are one of the most affected groups as they are left alone by their families to fetch food and water, which implies stopping their education just to be able to survive. Therefore, it can be argued that the Rise Up Movement acts as a medium for spreading knowledge and awareness on the realities faced by individuals of low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, it reinforces the interconnection between climate change and education, where the adverse effects of the former can affect the nation’s social and economic development.
Lastly, the Rise Up Movement has acquired global recognition through Nakate’s collaboration with major environmental campaigns, participation in UN climate conferences and the planning and organisation of strikes. For Nakate, this implies increased connections with important environmental and political entities globally, which potentially improves her legitimacy as a climate activist. This movement is assessed to be environmentally relevant as it brings public awareness through social media on the effects that climate change has on the livelihoods of local and marginalised communities in Africa.
Vash Green Schools Impact
As of July 2026, the Vash Green Schools project has been partially implemented. Some notable results include building 75 eco-friendly institutional stoves in 75 schools that have been impacted by energy poverty, and promotion of the transition to cleaner forms of energy, as well as the acceleration of clean cooking in local schools. Additionally, 60 solar panels were installed, allowing access to more stable lighting to schools. The “Go Fund Me” is a platform that has been used for crowdfunding, and for logging updates, where several individuals from all over the world have provided insights on the project, including pictures of the installed solar panels and stoves. Importantly, the projects follow an assessment process to identify shortcomings and further implement improvements. The Vash Green Schools project has also made promises to provide solutions to energy poverty not only in rural schools, but also in rural households. However, little advancement has been done in this aspect, and there is not much information available on how and where this is being developed.
With direct environmental effects, this project promotes the transition to greener and renewable forms of energy, moving away from biomass, such as charcoal and firewood. The latter are not efficient and emit Greenhouse Gases, triggering increased temperatures and exacerbating extreme weather events due to climate change. On a community level, this affects the livelihoods of locals that face the destruction of their homes and resources. Moreover, the high consumption of and dependence on firewood contributes to deforestation, leading to habitat fragmentation that negatively affects both local species and indigenous communities.
Overall, this project has positively impacted over 20,000 students facing energy poverty, providing off the grid lighting and electricity to schools. This project also reduces indoor pollution as these schools use kerosene lamps which both provide insufficient light and emit smoke leading to health problems including headaches and visual impairment. In this context, it can be argued that the implementation of this project increased the overall quality of the education in these specific educational institutions. In addition, the effects of this project on Nakate’s political stance have been overall positive given the good public responses at the “Go Fund Me” platform. For instance, one of the comments stated, “What a great idea! Win/win/win for schools, children, climate. Solar is the future. Africa is the future.” Moreover, it is argued that the development of a tangible project further helped her legitimise herself as a climate activist. In fact, she was named a UN Young Leader for Sustainable Development Goals in 2020, offering her global recognition.
Therefore, it can be argued that this project addresses climate change on a broader level. Firstly, it reduces wood fuels, burning of which results in the release of one gigaton of carbon dioxide globally into the atmosphere. Secondly, this project addresses deforestation by avoiding logging for wood fuels sourcing, helping preserve a major carbon sink. The protection of forests is extremely relevant given that deforestation for wood and charcoal fuel for cooking contribute up to 5% of greenhouse emissions, which is equivalent to the yearly emissions generated by the global aviation industry. However, this is still a relatively small-scale project. Even though it helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourages other schools or movements around the world to do the same, the overall impact is relatively small relative to the detrimental impact of global warming. Besides that, Africa accounts for only 4% of global carbon emissions, which highlights the need for high-emitting countries and larger industries having to put in more effort into reduction thereof.
Impact of her Activism in the #StopEACOP agenda
It can be argued that Nakate’s involvement in the #stopEACOP agenda has been overall successful. The movement has mobilised over 1 million people advocating for stopping pipeline construction and calling for sustainable and fair alternatives for the East Africans. Nakate has actively been a part of campaign coordination, supporting local resistance and helping to increase pressure on involved banks and insurers. Sustained protests, litigation, campaigning and pressure directed at all entities involved in the construction of the pipeline have resulted in hindering the project’s timeline and cutting much of the international financing that this project had obtained. In particular, the 350.org movement that is involved in the activism against the EACOP development has pushed over 40 banks and 30 insurers to withdraw funding for the project. It also delayed the project for 4 years and established 18 legal actions including the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) case, while highlighting the criminalisation of peaceful individuals protesting against the EACOP. However, the #stopEACOP movement has not provided clear alternatives for employment and income opportunities for East Africans, which the EACOP project does claim to offer.
This agenda promotes the diversification of the economy and sustainable inclusiveness, thereby not allowing huge multinational corporations to extract African resources and keep on profiting from them. Moreover, it reduces the burden for the people of Uganda and the neighbouring countries affected by the development of this project, particularly in terms of polluting industries. It also encourages equal opportunities for African countries to embrace clean renewable energies and the benefits that come with it, including the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions which exacerbates the effects of climate change. Moreover, prevention of the pipeline construction will allow it to pre-empt such environmental threats as wildlife loss and habitat fragmentation. From an economic perspective, conservation of the area’s rich diversity, heritage and nature open a pathway for investment redirection to sustainable industries such as eco-tourism and reforestation programmes. Contrary to the oil industry which provides short-term benefits, the approach Nakate advocates for has a potential to provide employment and long-term security to communities.
As for political effects, the fact that more than 160 organisations are working together against the EACOP has promoted the participation of civil society organisations and public organisations. This involves legal actions, research, shareholder activism, and media advocacy. This implies increased visibility of the #stopEACOP agenda, which promotes connection with NGOs and other international organisations, e.g. Greenpeace, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Civil Society Coalition on Oil and Gas (CSCO).
Regarding climate change, implementation of this agenda would help to avoid serious environmental challenges triggered by the construction of the pipeline. Some 379 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are anticipated to be emitted for the full value chain of emissions from pipeline transport of crude oil to final consumption. Additionally, the EACOP will be transporting oil that is estimated to generate over 34 million tons of carbon emissions annually. This would exacerbate the effects of climate change given the increased GHG emissions, and clashes with the global drive to shift away from fossil fuels dependence. Climate change is not the only environmental challenge that would be exacerbated by the EACOP. It would also pose serious threats for local communities in Uganda and Tanzania that depend on the African Great Lakes region through which the pipeline’s construction is planned. Besides preventing the pollution of critical water sources, the policy’s implementation will protect animal species at risk of extinction, e.g. elephants, lions, and chimpanzees.
IE x RAIA Summer Research Programme: Vanessa Nakate Profile
This article is an excerpt from a report on Vanessa Nakate produced as part of a RAIA research programme on climate leaders. For a full picture of Nakate’s climate leadership, including the sources, read the full report. This project was fully financed by IE University’s School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs and School of Science and Technology.
Authors: Maïa Ines Mallet De Vandègre, Trixie Claudette Nebres & Lucia Piederiet
Editor: Ksenia Kumanina
Project Lead: Dario Hasenstab
