The United States should do no less. It must join in total debt cancellation and encourage all creditors, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, to stop taking payments. At the same time, developed nations have an obligation to respond to the mounting damages from the extreme weather associated with climate change. Extreme weather events, particularly intense precipitation, have been especially punishing for poor nations, such as Honduras, Venezuela, those in the Horn of Africa, China, and Bangladesh. Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina and the twin Christmas windstorms felling France's forests demonstrate that no nation is immune and the costs are to be borne by all.
Climate change comes from burning fossil fuels, as released carbon traps heat in the atmosphere.
Thousands may lie under the flood waters, while the deluge displaced hundreds of thousands, destroyed 141 schools, numerous road and bridges, and is spreading malaria, respiratory disease, dysentery, and cholera. The disaster in Mozambique can become a turning point for public awareness of the enormous potency of climate disruption and the need for development based on alternative fuels. In the immediate future, clean energy sources are needed to pump and purify water and to power rural health centers and schools. In the long run, new energy sources can complement environmentally sound policies that preserve forests and protect coastal zones. A new thrust for development will require funds, and these investments in new technologies will benefit manufacturing and consuming nations alike.