Mozambique Reels From Floods as Trump’s Climate Policies Draw Scrutiny
By [Your Name], International Editor, nouvelles-du-monde.com
MAPUTO, Mozambique – As Mozambique grapples with devastating floods that have impacted nearly 700,000 people, international attention is turning to the role of global climate policy – and specifically, the continued resistance to renewable energy championed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Recent floods, between January 9th and 26th, have left 12 dead, 45 injured, and four missing across southern and central Mozambique, with Gaza province being the hardest hit. Over 4,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged, and nearly 155,000 more flooded, according to the Mozambique Disaster and Risk Management Institute. Since the rainy season began in October, 137 people have died and 800,000 have been affected, with widespread damage to infrastructure including roads, healthcare facilities, and agricultural land.
The crisis underscores a stark reality: Mozambique, despite contributing only 0.11% of global CO2 emissions in 2024 (60.26 megatons), is consistently ranked among the ten nations most vulnerable to climate change.
The current disaster comes on the heels of Cyclone Kenneth in 2019, which flattened villages in Cabo Delgado province, and highlights a pattern of increasingly severe weather events linked to human-induced climate change.
President Trump’s stance, outlined in a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21st, has drawn criticism. He described renewable energy solutions as a “green new scam” and advocated for increased fossil fuel extraction to avoid an “energy collapse.” This position directly contradicts the scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels is the primary driver of global warming, accounting for 89% of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Mozambique is not helping itself,” notes Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, pointing to the country’s continued investment in fossil fuel projects despite the growing climate crisis.
Mozambique is home to the largest fossil gas project in Africa, the Mozambique Liquefied Natural Gas project, located in the impoverished province of Cabo Delgado. Despite a previous halt in operations due to security concerns and allegations of human rights abuses linked to the project, the government authorized it to resume. Three other major fossil fuel projects – Rovuma LNG, Coral Sul FLNG, and Coral North LNG – are also underway in Cabo Delgado, collectively poised to release 9.9 gigatons of CO2 emissions.
While Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo cancelled his participation at the 2026 World Economic Forum to oversee the flood response, Chagutah argues that such actions are insufficient without a consistent and comprehensive implementation of the country’s Climate Action Strategy.
The international community is increasingly calling for a just transition to renewable energy and for higher-income, historical emitters to provide financial and technical assistance to vulnerable nations like Mozambique. Amnesty International emphasizes the need to operationalize the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, established at COP30, to address the irreversible harm already being experienced.
Mozambique will require $644 million to rebuild essential infrastructure damaged by the recent rains, with the expectation that the situation will worsen as the rainy season continues. The country needs investment in robust disaster response systems and remedies for those affected, alongside a shift away from fossil fuels and towards adaptation measures.
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