Climate

Mozambique is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events such as severe droughts, tropical storms, cyclones, heavy rains and floods, which frequently affect the country. The vulnerability of the majority of the population exacerbates the human impact of extreme weather events, as about half of the Mozambican population lives below the poverty line and about two-thirds live in coastal areas with precarious housing and degraded public infrastructure. Government authorities face serious challenges in providing humanitarian assistance to victims of natural disasters and rely on international humanitarian organisations for emergency relief. The increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters is linked to human activities such as deforestation, which has negative impacts on climate, human and ecosystem health and security, increased social inequalities, food insecurity and loss of biodiversity. Environmental crimes such as poaching, illegal exploitation of mineral resources (gold, rubies, gems), illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing are widespread and facilitated by corruption in law enforcement agencies. MOZ TIMES pays special attention to reporting on climate and environmental issues and conducts special investigations dedicated to uncovering and exposing environmental crimes committed by foreign and domestic companies and politically exposed persons.