The government has called for the active involvement of universities from Portuguese-speaking countries in sharing technical and scientific knowledge that can contribute to the national response to the effects of climate change, according to a statement by the Lusa news agency on Tuesday, June 17.
“The country in general, and the city of Beira in particular, have much to learn and share regarding the impacts of climate change, its prevention and management. It is a phenomenon that manifests cyclically through extreme events such as cyclones, floods, inundations, and droughts, which cause disasters and destroy the economic, human, and social fabric,” said Edson Macuácua, Secretary of State for Science and Higher Education, during the opening of the 34th Meeting of the Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities (AULP), which has been taking place since Monday (June 16) in the city of Beira.
Under the theme “The Role of Universities in Managing Climate Change,” the meeting brings together more than 200 academics from Lusophone countries and is being hosted at Zambeze University until Wednesday, June 18. The event focuses on topics such as the prevention and control of climate risks, sustainability, education, development, and language. The official emphasized that the current national context demands “a robust response from our universities” in mitigating and combating the impacts of climate change, in pursuit of sustainable and resilient development.
Official data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show that, between 2019 and 2023, extreme weather events such as cyclones and storms caused the deaths of at least 1,016 people in Mozambique, affecting around 4.9 million citizens across various regions of the country. In this context, Edson Macuácua argued that AULP must serve as a platform for promoting multilateralism by facilitating the sharing of experiences, synergies, best practices, and scientific knowledge capable of addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
Between December and March of this year’s cyclone season, the country was hit by three cyclones, the most severe being Cyclone Chido, which devastated several areas in the north and center of the country, causing around 175 deaths and destroying thousands of homes and infrastructures.
“AULP’s role must continue to assert itself internationally as a space for academic dialogue and cooperation, promoting university excellence not only in teaching but also, and above all, in scientific research, generating concrete responses to society’s challenges, particularly in the management of climate change,” the Secretary of State reiterated.
A recent report by the National Institute of Meteorology (INAM), titled “State of the Climate in Mozambique 2024,” indicates a worsening in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones hitting the country. Although the document focuses on the year 2024, it includes a historical analysis from the 1981–1982 cyclone season through to the present, 2024–2025.
The report highlights that, in the first half of the decade 2021–2030, Mozambique has already been hit by ten tropical cyclones — a number that exceeds by four the total recorded in each of the previous decades analyzed. Extending the study period to cover the years from 1954 to 2024, the report identifies a “positive trend” in the formation and occurrence of tropical cyclones that directly impact the national territory.
Although there was a decline in wind intensity in 2023, this trend was reversed in 2024, notably with Cyclone Chido, which struck the north of the country last December with winds reaching up to 240 kilometers per hour. According to INAM, it was the third most intense cyclone to hit the national coast this decade, after the devastating Cyclone Freddy.
Source: Diário Económico
