Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 29 July 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The catastrophic floods of April 2022 in Durban, which claimed 544 lives, were made significantly worse by climate change. This is according to a new study led by the University of Witwatersrand. A kilometre-scale climate attribution model was used, which simulated the storm in both today’s warmed climate and a counterfactual world without human-induced global warming. Three key drivers behind the intensified rainfall have been identified. These are a warmer atmosphere, fuelled by greenhouse gases, the Agulhas Current has warmed in recent decades, and changes in wind patterns are funnelling more moist air into KwaZulu-Natal.

# From China it’s reported that heavy rains have triggered floods and landslides in and around Beijing, killing more than 30 people, while several others are still missing. More than 80-thousand people have been relocated, including from the Miyun district, which is the most affected. The downpours have damaged dozens of roads and cut off electricity for 136 villages. The capital issued its highest-level flood alert. President Xi Jinping has ordered officials to make an all-out effort to search and rescue those still missing, properly evacuate residents at risk, and minimise casualties.

# And finally: A zoo on the Isle of Wight in the south of England announced the birth of red panda twins after introducing the parents last year. The cubs’ 10-year-old mother Xiao was paired with a 10-month-old male Flint after he was imported from the Belfast Zoo. The cubs will remain hidden in the nest boxes until they are at least three months old. The species lives in the eastern Himalayas and China, is endangered and on the decline. Red pandas are poached for fur, caught in traps and under threat from forest clearance.

Stay tuned for more news………….