DOI: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20261405.12 ISSN: 2330-7536

Climate Change, Associated Risks and Environmental Damages in Mozambique: A Systematic Review

Americo Mahumane, Sara Romao, Gustavo Dgedge, Ubaldo Gemusse
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Climate change is one of the most significant environmental and societal challenges of the twenty-first century. Its effects are expressed through changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events, environmental degradation, and growing risks to human livelihoods and well-being. Mozambique is particularly vulnerable because of its exposure to floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, coastal erosion, and other climate-related hazards, as well as its limited adaptive capacity in many communities. This article aims to review the state of the art on climate change and associated environmental risks, with particular emphasis on studies conducted in Mozambique. It also seeks to identify the main theoretical approaches, research trends, and knowledge gaps in the analysis of climate variability, vulnerability, impacts, resilience, and adaptation. The study adopted a qualitative approach based on a narrative literature review of scientific articles, reports, and other relevant academic publications addressing climate change, climate variability, environmental risks, vulnerability, resilience, and Mozambique. The reviewed literature was analyzed thematically in order to identify the principal concerns, methodologies, and findings presented by previous studies. The review shows that the international literature has substantially advanced the understanding of the environmental and human consequences of climate change, particularly in relation to vulnerability, adaptation, resilience, and disaster risk. In Mozambique, however, most studies focus on the impacts of natural disasters, vulnerability assessments, resilience, adaptation strategies, and projected climate-change scenarios. Comparatively fewer studies provide robust statistical analyses of historical temperature and precipitation records to demonstrate observed climate anomalies and long-term climatic trends. This limitation reduces the empirical basis for distinguishing between climate variability and anthropogenic climate change at local and regional scales. The article concludes that future research in Mozambique should combine vulnerability and impact assessments with systematic analyses of observed climatic data, climate indices, and regional climate projections. Such an integrated approach would strengthen the scientific basis for environmental planning, risk reduction, adaptation policies, and sustainable territorial development.

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