On May 2, 2008, Cyclone Nargis touched down on Burma’s western coast, and – according to top U.S. diplomats – may have claimed the lives of 100,000 people. As Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science has pointed out; it’s tough to say whether the devastation can be blamed directly on the sheer strength of the cyclone (aided undoubtedly by global warming) or on Burma’s bad governance, lack of proper infrastructure and warning systems.

Truth is both factors are at play. Climate change and the extreme weather that it brings have direct implications on international security – for the U.S., and for nations like Burma. In that sense, Nargis is just the beginning. In the years to come, we can expect to see increased frequency of extreme weather events, and other factors, particularly in the developing countries in the earth’s low latitudinal band.

In other words: while the U.S. will face its own slew of catastrophes (think: new diseases outbreaks, increased border stress, and – if you can imagine it – even more volatile fuel prices), the world’s poorest people will be worse off. In what can only be characterized as a cruel twist of irony, the same communities who stand to suffer the most from climate change have contributed least to the problem.

Extreme weather will simply get worse – and more devastating - if we don’t act now. As one of the world’s largest polluters, the U.S. has a moral responsibility, to the world to be leading, acting, and planning to curb the effects of global warming.

The next American President must take decisive steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and resume cooperation with our allies on energy policy and climate change. The United States cannot solve the climate crisis alone, but the international community cannot solve the climate crisis without United States leadership. We must step up, reduce our own emissions and help poorer and more vulnerable nations deal with the high costs of global warming before it’s too late.