Much of southern Madagascar is drying up. Last week the United Nations launched an appeal for $155m to save lives threatened by drought. In some areas there has been barely any rain for four years. Malnutrition is on the rise. Desperate, hungry families are selling their underage daughters to buy food.

With an eye on COP26, the UN’s upcoming climate-change conference, some of its officials argue that the drought makes the Malagasy people the victims of excessive carbon emissions produced by industrialised countries. There is an element of truth in that. But this traditionally drought-prone region has been ignored by the country’s government for decades. There are no tarmac roads and virtually no piped clean water. Otherwise fertile fields, which would blossom if they were irrigated, are slowly becoming ever less productive because of sandstorms. Lives need saving today. But without long-term economic development the misery will continue.