Abstract:
Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change, and this situation is aggravated by its
weak adaptive capacity. The factors that determine the impacts, vulnerability and capacity to adapt to
climate change are complex and unequal in the different regions, being directly related, among other
things, to the level of social development and the response capacity of society at different scales.
Although Mozambique's contributions on climate change are insignificant, the country ranks third
among African countries most exposed to climate-related risks and suffers periodically from cyclones,
droughts, floods and epidemics. In recent times, these events have become more frequent and intense,
with repercussions on national development and a dramatic impact on the lives of the most
disadvantaged population, who live in areas most exposed to climate risks. In Maputo province the
rural-urban balance is changing due to migration and progressive urbanization, deforestation, climate
change, socio-economic and political instability, making the neighboring districts of the rapidly
growing Maputo Metropolitan Area fragile territories. In this sense, the present study focuses on the
spatial impact of climate change in Mozambique, in the specific case of the region of Moamba, Boane
and Namaacha. The main objective of the study is to describe the dynamics of transformation taking
place in the region, analyzing the impacts exerted by Climate Change on the self-organization of human
settlements. The proposed methodology is situated in a qualitative study plan and a exploratory
approach, monographic procedure methods or case study was used, whose data collection was
circumscribed in semi-structured interviews, documental and spatial data analysis. The results obtained
confirm that processes of spatial self-organization resulting from climate change are taking place,
following new patterns of territorial occupation, and the government has limited control over these
dynamics, increasing the problems resulting from territorial asymmetries. However, despite the
uncertainties that still exist about climate change, it is suggested that the government invest in policies
to minimize vulnerability and develop adaptation to the impacts of these changes and the creation of a
structural model of planning, with a regional perspective.
