International solidarity in the wake of cyclone Idai in March was most welcome. The UN, its field agencies and major NGOs did not delay in coming to the aid of Zimbabwe and Malawi, and especially Mozambique. But I cannot help but detect hints of guilt in this solidarity. Mozambique is on its knees, and Idai also killed in Zimbabwe and Malawi. More than 1,000 people died and 2-million were affected in the region, including 1.8-million in Mozambique alone. The damage caused by floods and wind gusts is expected to cost the region more than $2bn, according to the World Bank. For researchers, there is no doubt that the alternation of cyclonic episodes and droughts that has hit the region in recent years is directly linked to the temperature variations resulting from climate change. The irony is that Mozambique and its neighboring countries produce only a tiny fraction of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, Africa is the continent least responsible for global warming: barely 3...
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