Legal and policy dimensions of climate governance in Tanzania: implications for environmental protection and public health resilience
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2025-11-25
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The sub Saharan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (SJSSH)
Abstract
Climate change presents escalating threats to Tanzania’s ecosystems, socio-economic systems and public health,
demanding a governance framework that effectively integrates environmental protection with health resilience. This article
provides a wide-ranging doctrinal analysis of the legal and policy instruments shaping climate governance in Tanzania,
drawing on the Environmental Management Act (EMA) 2004, the National Climate Change Response Strategy (2021–2026),
the National Environmental Policy (2021) and relevant sectoral laws. The study examines how these domestic frameworks
interact with global and regional commitments under the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, African Union climate strategies
and East African Community policies. Findings reveal that while Tanzania has established a robust formal architecture for
climate governance, significant gaps remain in implementation, enforcement, institutional coordination and resource
allocation. Insufficient mainstreaming of public health concerns into climate adaptation and mitigation strategies further
constrains the nation’s resilience, particularly for vulnerable populations such as smallholder farmers, women and residents
of informal settlements. The article argues that enhancing climate governance requires clearer institutional mandates,
strengthened judicial and regulatory capacity, improved climate finance utilization and systematic integration of public
health considerations across all levels of planning. It concludes by proposing targeted legal and policy reforms to advance a
more coherent, equitable and health-responsive climate governance regime capable of safeguarding environmental integrity
and human well-being in a changing climate.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Climate governance, Environmental law, Public health resilience, Climate policy, Tanzania