On 15 November, Bangladesh was struck by Cyclone Sidr, which caused huge devastation and killed over 3,000 people, with a similar number reported missing. The damage could have been a lot worse but for disaster-preparedness work undertaken by the Bangladeshi government, aid agencies, and communities. Two million people were given early warnings and evacuated their homes before the storm struck, and cyclone shelters saved many hundreds of thousands of people from the direct impacts of the cyclone. However, many homes have been destroyed, and with the country's agriculture in ruins, vast numbers of people are now threatened with food shortages.

Cyclones have always struck Bangladesh, but while Cyclone Sidr - or any other cyclone - is unlikely to have been caused by climate change, cyclones and tropical storms are becoming stronger and more intense. This change in the climate is likely to be because of global warming, especially heating of the oceans. Generally, climatic hazards, especially heatwaves and intense rain, are on the increase. Therefore, countries affected by "extreme weather events" will have to be even better prepared to withstand them. But unless the UN IPCC Conference in Bali from 3-14 December really starts the process of taking serious steps to cut greenhouse emissions internationally, then even such relatively effective disaster-preparedness efforts as those in Bangladesh will be increasingly stretched and ultimately overwhelmed.

See Oxfam's latest reports on climate change:
Up in smoke? Asia and the Pacific
Climate alarm: Disasters increase as climate change bites