Synthesis Report: English (print ready)

The project, Responding to climate change in Mozambique (INGC Phase II, 2009–2012), was organised around three pillars: a strategy pillar, a capacity-building pillar and an implementation pillar. The extent to which Mozambique’s vulnerability will increase with increasing exposure to climate change risks will depend on the country’s adaptive capacity. Without the implementation of priority adaptation measures, the increasing exposure of people and economic assets will lead to exponential increases in economic loss from climate-related disasters. The 2012 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change SREX report broadened the definition of climate change and placed extreme events right at the forefront of climate change concerns. Over the past few years, particularly in Africa, it has become clear that adaptation to climate change impacts should become central to actions in any climate regime. This was also the message given at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting held in Durban in November 2011, which was taken up by the African countries. Led by the Mozambican Government’s National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC), a scientific study on the potential impacts of climate change in Mozambique was conducted (INGC Phase I, 2008–2009). This research, which was widely quoted and the first to apply downscaled climate change models to Mozambique, provided the country with significant insight into how climate change could impact on national investment and poverty reduction plans over the coming five to 10 years, threatening large portions of the coastline where development is taking place and population settlements are located. It showed that, in Mozambique, climate change and disaster risk go hand in hand, as most of the impacts of climate change would be felt in the form of the worsening risk, spread, intensity and frequency of natural disasters. A second project focused on the identification of science-based solutions to the potential impacts from climate change. The strategy pillar looked at how Mozambicans need to prepare for climate change impacts by 2030 from a disaster risk perspective and at what actions and funding are needed to achieve this. The capacity-building pillar identified the most effective ways to create the necessary in-country skills and information base for essential research and education and to facilitate a good science-policy interface. The implementation pillar identified adaptation measures and costs for specific high disaster risk, high-impact areas organised around the themes of coastal protection, early warning, water, agriculture, cities and the private sector.

INGC Synthesis Report ENG_(print ready).pdf — PDF document, 10586Kb