At the end of January, Hurricane Ana hits the east coast of Africa. The population of Mozambique suffers particularly badly, with deaths and enormous property damage. 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 widespread destruction in the center of Mozambique and claimed the lives of around 600 people. That the cyclone was no exception is shown by a look at the Climate Risk Report of the Germanwatch Association (page 14) - where Mozambique ranks 5th among the countries most affected by extreme weather events in recent years.
The year 2022 is also part of this sad tradition: On January 24, Hurricane Ana hit the north of the country. As of today, 21 people have died, and around 10,000 houses have been completely or partially destroyed. Many roads were also flooded due to the rainfall, and bridges were swept away.
Partners and beneficiaries affected
Ana also passed over the town of Mocuba, where our partner organization NANA operates. "We are still in the process of writing up an overview of the damage. Many of our beneficiaries have been affected. Right now we are evaluating how best to help them and what is needed most urgently," commented the director of NANA, Jorge Cardoso. "We are already preparing for the next cyclone, which is predicted for next week."
According to estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC unfortunately, more frequent and stronger storms are to be expected in Mozambique in the future. The next cyclone is currently forming east of Madagascar, Batsirai. How this cyclone will develop is not yet clear - several models predict wind speeds of up to 200 km/h and a direct course toward Mozambique. "Everyone is tense because of this. We are sensitizing the population to stay away from dangerous places, such as rivers, which can swell quickly. Trees can also be extremely dangerous with the strong winds. During the storm warning, they should retreat to schools," says Jorge Cardoso. Of course, they hope that Batsirai doesn't move toward Mozambique in the first place.
Strengthen climate-friendly agriculture
To counteract the increasing changes of climate change, we strengthen young people in Mocuba in agroecological agriculture with the project of NANA. They learn how to produce vegetables without the use of pesticides and thereby earn an income. Together with NANA, we strengthen their civil rights so that they can campaign locally for more environmentally friendly food production.
But the fight against climate change also requires the commitment of us in Switzerland. That is why terre des hommes switzerland has committed to halving its CO2 emissions.
