As climate change continues to raise the temperature of our planet, floods, droughts, cyclones and epidemics will increasingly plague Africa's Mozambique.

The effects of mankind's polluting activities is nowhere more apparent than in the low lying country in the south east of the continent, where disasters are unfortunately all too common, with long stretches of low-lying coast making it one of Africa's most vulnerable countries to climate change.

As temperatures have risen over the last three decades, so too have the number of natural disasters and epidemic diseases. In May this year a report highlighted just how vulnerable Mozambique is, saying that, "Mozambique's exposure to the risk of natural disaster will increase significantly over the next 20 years and beyond as a result of climate change".

The BBC also carried out a detailed report on the region this year, detailing how the dangers of abject poverty are coupled with flood risks, rising sea levels and coastal cyclones - all of which are caused or exacerbated by climate change.

Millions of Mozambicans depend on the coast

The country has one of the longest coastlines in Africa, stretching 2700km. About 13 million people live in coastal areas, and even more live in river deltas. About 70 percent of Mozambique's population live in rural areas, the vast majority of whom farm the land for a living and are dependent on certain climatic conditions.

The soil has always been good farming land - able to grow rice, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions and many other staple crops - but the floods not only make farming and fishing almost impossible, they also leave the land and irrigation channels saturated with salt water once they have subsided.

So far the small number of interventions have only scratched the surface of the problem, but government officials admit they are struggling to cope with the significant changes that have occurred in such a small amount of time.

A nation recovering from civil war

The consequences of our warming planet are only adding to the problems of a nation still recovering from a civil war, and now direct and immediate action is needed to prevent the country becoming overwhelmed by the impacts of cyclones, floods and droughts.

In comparison to many other developing countries, Mozambique appears to be one that is actively trying to tackle climate change. However, its vitally important that all the work done on paper now makes its way to the ground and starts making a difference.

The small number of interventions that have already been implemented have only scratched the surface of the problem, and government officials admit they are struggling to cope with the significant changes that have occurred in such a small amount of time.

The government have built concrete sea walls, improved drainage systems in slums in flood-risk areas and constructed buildings that can be turned into high-ground refuges when floods hit.

Mozambique is going to Copenhagen

But with every solution so far proving extremely expensive for a country ravaged by poverty, the government has looked for alternatives to keeping people's homes safe from the rising waters and resorted to relocating people.

As reported by the BBC, the government has already started relocating people - mainly as a result of the exceptionally large floods in 2000, where over 700 Mozambicans were killed. But to move a family, the government needs to provide more than just a house, the people need a livelihood as well. If people cannot make a living in their new location, they become dependent on aid or move back again, leaving their new homes empty - as has already happened in some areas of Mozambique.

"What we need is more resources - in terms of financial resources, the transference of technologies and building a national capacity to deal with the issues provoked by climate change," said Alcinda Abreu, the nation's Environment Minister.

Mozambique could not have been satisfied with the outcome of the UN climate change summit Copenhagen after it descended into farce as a result of world leaders failing to agree any legally binding deal.

Poorer countries wanted significant compensation from developed nations for their excessive generation of greenhouse gases, the consequences of which are nowhere greater than in places like low-lying Mozambiue.

The situation cannot continue, but the country will need all the help it can get from richer countries to keep its head above water.

Graphic source: BBC.co.uk

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