Cyclone Ana hits the east coast of Africa at the end of January. The population of Mozambique suffers particularly badly, with deaths and enormous damage to property. Events like this have become more frequent in recent years and show the bitter seriousness of climate change for the global South.
A sad tradition
It is now almost three years since Cyclone Idai caused major destruction in the center of Mozambique and claimed the lives of around 600 people. A look at the climate risk report published by the Germanwatch association (page 14) shows that the cyclone was no exception – Mozambique ranks fifth among the countries most severely affected by extreme weather events in recent years.
The year 2022 also joins this sad tradition: On January 24, Hurricane Ana hit the north of the country. As things stand, 21 people have died so far and around 10,000 houses have been completely or partially destroyed. Many roads were also flooded and bridges torn down due to the rainfall.
Partners and beneficiaries affected
Ana also passed over the city of Mocuba, where our partner organization NANA is active. “We are still in the process of compiling an overview of the damage. Many of our beneficiaries are affected. We are currently evaluating how we can best help them and what they need most urgently,” says NANA Director Jorge Cardoso. “We are already preparing for the next cyclone, which is forecast for next week.”
According to estimates by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), more frequent and stronger storms are unfortunately to be expected in Mozambique in the future. The next cyclone, Batsirai, is currently forming to the east of Madagascar. It is not yet entirely clear how this cyclone will develop – several models predict wind speeds of up to 200 km/h and a direct course towards Mozambique. “Everyone is therefore on tenterhooks. We are sensitizing the population to stay away from dangerous places, such as rivers, which can swell quickly. Trees can also be extremely dangerous in the strong winds. During the storm warning, they should retreat to schools,” says Jorge Cardoso. Of course, they hope that Batsirai will not move towards Mozambique in the first place.
Strengthening climate-friendly agriculture
In order to counteract the increasing changes caused by climate change, we are empowering young people in Mocuba in agroecological farming with the NANA project. They learn how to produce vegetables without the use of pesticides and thus earn an income. Together with NANA, we are strengthening their civil rights so that they can campaign locally for more environmentally friendly food production.
But the fight against climate change also requires a commitment from us in Switzerland. That is why terre des hommes schweiz has committed to halving its CO2 emissions.
