Speaking at a dialogue on climate change organised by his ministry, Castro suggested that the cyclical droughts in southern Mozambique, flooding in the major river valleys, and the occasional devastating cyclone hitting the Mozambican coast are associated with the global warming caused by human interference in the climate.
Giving a brief history of climate change, Castro dated it to the industrial revolution, which began in Europe in the 18th century. Industrial development was at the cost of using vast amounts of fossil fuels (coal and oil), which liberated greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere.
"With the industrialization of an increasing number of countries, and the resulting increased burning of fossil fuel, the concentration of greenhouse gases has risen, reaching a level that natural recycling processes cannot deal with", he said.
Mozambique's contribution to this phenomenon was miniscule, given that the country still has very few heavy industries. Nonetheless, it was concerned at climate change, and so had ratified the relevant United Nations treaties, including the Kyoto Protocol, and was committed to the international efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.
"Climate change and its effects know no borders", said Castro, "and do not discriminate between those who have contributed most to global warming and those who have contributed least".
Poor countries like Mozambique, he added, were more likely than rich countries to be severely hit by extreme climate events, "worsening still further the precarious conditions in which their people live".
Antonio Queface, a physics lecturer from Maputo's Eduardo Mondlane University, said Mozambique should take adaptation measures to face climate change. Such measures would include investing in drought resistant crops and water retention technologies, in order to deal with the likelihood of lower rainfall in the future.
And although it was true that the Mozambican contribution to global warning is insignificant, Queface thought that serious efforts should be made to reduce the number of bush fires set at the start of every agricultural season. Uncontrolled bush fires had taken on alarming proportions in some parts of the country, notably the southern province of Gaza.
"We have to make a greater effort to control these fires, since they too send polluting gases into the atmosphere", said Queface. "The level of uncontrolled bush fires in Mozambique is very high, and deserves serious attention".
SOURCE: AIM
