Climate Summit Prompts Revisit of Jonas Bendiksen's 2011 Bangladesh Photography on Cyclone Aila

Coinciding with the Leaders Summit on Climate and Earth Day, the photographic work "A tempestade que se aproxima" by Jonas Bendiksen is revisited. Published alongside journalist Don Belt's report in National Geographic in May 2011, the project documents the aftermath of Cyclone Aila, which struck the village of Munshiganj near Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2009 with 70 mph winds and a devastating storm surge. Belt's accompanying text projects a dire future for Bangladesh, noting its dense population could reach 220 million by 2050 while rising sea levels from climate change could displace 10 to 30 million coastal residents. The article links this to a predicted global increase of climate refugees to around 250 million by mid-century. A decade after the cyclone, the 2021 Climate Summit, acting as a precursor to COP26 in the UK, involves 40 countries aiming to set more ambitious targets. The piece also details Brazil's uncomfortable participation, exacerbated by Environment Minister Ricardo Salles's management, citing a tripling of Amazon deforestation in 2020 compared to its 2009 Climate Convention goal and recent Federal Police suspicions against Salles. The text concludes by mentioning South African photographer Gideon Mendel's global series on climate impacts.