Mozambique Faces Fossil Fuel Trap; UN Expert Calls for Solar-Powered Future for All

The country’s rich biodiversity and natural resources should be recognised as essential foundations for resilience, Morgera said, calling for an economy shaped by Mozambique’s own priorities and grounded in human rights.

Mozambique faces a critical choice over how to meet its people's development needs and prepare for worsening climate pressures, with a UN expert warning that international support could deepen its dependence on fossil fuels instead of helping it build a more resilient economy. Elisa Morgera, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change, issued the warning at the end of an official visit to the country, calling on high-emitting nations, donors, foreign investors' home countries and international financial institutions to support a future built around human rights, environmental protection and access to clean energy.

Climate Risks Put People's Everyday Needs at Stake

Morgera's assessment examined the links between the right to development and the right to a healthy environment, against the backdrop of the 2026 Super El Niño and the prospect of global temperatures overshooting 1.5°C. She said the latest science points towards crossing that threshold, bringing increasingly uncertain interactions between environmental, social and economic risks, with the poorest people and Least Developed Countries facing disproportionate harm. For Mozambique, her message connects climate resilience to practical needs such as reliable food supplies, safe water, healthcare, education and affordable energy, making the direction of development a question of how well people can live and cope with future pressures.

The country's rich biodiversity and natural resources should be recognised as essential foundations for resilience, Morgera said, calling for an economy shaped by Mozambique's own priorities and grounded in human rights. She urged development initiatives to provide the strongest possible protection for the population, including its most vulnerable members, and deliver benefits across several areas at once. Reducing economic and energy poverty, strengthening water and food security, improving health and education, and supporting genuinely green innovation should form part of a connected national vision that treats people's wellbeing and a healthy environment as closely linked.

Debt and Mega-Projects Could Deepen Fossil Fuel Dependence

The Special Rapporteur expressed concern that Mozambique's debt trap, dependence on humanitarian assistance and reliance on harmful mega-projects could leave it tied to fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for the future. She pointed to the unequal direction of energy development, with high-emitting countries moving towards renewable energy at home and gaining economic and national security benefits as Mozambique risks becoming more dependent on fossil fuels. Her warning places scrutiny on the choices of donors, international debt creditors, multinational corporations' home countries and financial institutions whose support can influence the country's development path.

Morgera said these international actors must respect their human rights and climate obligations, with high-emitting States acting according to their responsibilities and capabilities. She called on them to refrain from supporting projects that deepen Mozambique's fossil fuel dependency and help the country move directly towards a sustainable, solar-powered economy through an approach centred on human rights. The proposed shift connects investment decisions to broader needs, including extending energy access, supporting development and protecting the natural resources on which climate resilience depends.

International Support Must Match the Scale of the Challenge

Mozambique's choices are constrained by failures beyond its borders, Morgera said, citing the lack of agreement among high-emitting States on effective and fair measures to reduce emissions in energy and food systems and address climate-related loss and damage. She also pointed to developed countries' limited fulfilment of climate finance obligations, which she said had been clarified by the International Court of Justice. Describing Mozambique's position as a historic opportunity, she called for a clear, integrated economic vision that expands energy access, supports healthy and resilient food systems and creates the strongest possible conditions for climate resilience for everyone.