The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mateus Magala, revealed on Thursday 21 March in Maputo that the country’s temperature has risen by 0.7 °C in the last 43 years.
The information was provided during the release of the Annual Report on the State of the Climate in Mozambique, an event that anticipates the celebration of 23 March, “World Meteorology Day”, which will be celebrated next Saturday (23), and which this year will take place under the theme “At the forefront of climate action”.
According to the government, in recent years the country has been experiencing more frequent and intense extreme events, particularly floods, cyclones and storms, which result in the loss of hundreds of human lives and also have a strong negative impact on the economy.
“This scenario has led Mozambique to reposition itself in the global debate on climate change, reinforcing its contribution to the movement that seeks experiences to strengthen the resilience of its economy and the communities living in risk zones,” he emphasised.
In addition, it was emphasised that Mozambique began producing annual climate reports in 2021, presenting scientific evidence of climate change in the country.
“With tropical cyclone “Freddy” entering the national territory twice and, recently, Filipo, there is an increasing trend in the number of tropical cyclones hitting Mozambique,” he emphasised.
Mozambique is considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change in the world, facing cyclical floods and tropical cyclones during the rainy season, which runs from October to April.
The 2018-19 rainy season was one of the most severe on record in Mozambique: 714 people died, including 648 victims of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, two of the biggest ever to hit the country.
In the first quarter of last year, heavy rains and Cyclone Freddy caused 306 deaths, affected more than 1.3 million people in the country, destroyed 236,000 homes and 3,200 classrooms, according to official government figures.
