Mozambique is one of the countries at greatest risk and greatest exposure to ecological shocks, according to the Ecological Threats Report published by the Australian-based Institute for Economics and Peace.

In the study, which analyzes 178 countries and territories, Mozambique is ranked 171st and has one of the 10 highest scores in the "Ecological Threat Report" (ETR), which looks at factors such as risk of water scarcity or water shortages, rapid population growth, temperature instability and natural disasters

The authors of the second edition of the Report conclude that there is a "cyclical relationship between ecological degradation and conflict" such as terrorism and civil war. 

Eleven of the 15 countries with the worst ETR scores are currently classified as being in conflict, and the remaining four are at great risk of peace disruption. 

"It is a vicious cycle in which resource degradation leads to conflict, and the resulting conflict leads to further resource degradation. Breaking the cycle requires improving ecological resource management and socioeconomic resilience," reads the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) paper.

Afghanistan has the highest overall score in the Report, reflecting the country's vulnerability, which may be exacerbated by climate change. 

Brazil is ranked 40th in the ETR index, Equatorial Guinea 91st, Guinea-Bissau 105th, and Timor-Leste 127th. Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde are mentioned in the report, but are not in the table.

The IEP estimates that by 2050, 4.7 billion people will reside in countries with high and extreme ecological threats, which represent 48.7% of the world's total population.

The report identifies three groups of 30 countries under greatest ecological pressure, namely the Sahel-Horn of Africa corridor between Mauritania and Somalia, the Southern Africa corridor between Angola and Madagascar, and the Middle East and Central Asia corridor between Syria and Pakistan.

Lusa Agency