Mozambique urged to shift from fossil fuel expansion to climate resilience

UN Special Rapporteur Elisa Morgera has recommended that Mozambique re-evaluate its plans for fossil fuel expansion, including the development of a petrochemical hub. During a visit to Maputo, Morgera emphasized that the country's economic trajectory must account for climate change risks, environmental protection, and human rights. She specifically called for independent assessments of the impacts of coal mining and fossil fuel production on rights to health, food, water, and housing.

Concurrently, Mozambique's Finance Minister Carla Louveira has called for a strategic shift from emergency response to climate shock prevention. Following a severe rainy season between December 2025 and January 2026 that affected over one million people and cost approximately 2% of the nation's GDP, Louveira argued that extreme weather has become a structural fiscal shock rather than a temporary humanitarian crisis. She advocated for investments in resilient infrastructure, such as safer schools and roads, to mitigate the recurring costs of climate-driven destruction.