Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 12 September 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The World Meteorological Organisation says there is a 60-percent chance of La Niña conditions emerging towards the end of this year. La Niña refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in the tropical atmospheric circulation, such as winds, pressure and rainfall. The organisation’s Celeste Saulo says the past nine years have been the warmest on record even with the cooling influence of a multi-year La Niña from 2020 to early last year.

# The European Investment Bank Global has inaugurated its regional hub in the Menlyn Maine precinct in Pretoria, to boost investments in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. The hub will support clean energy, jobs, and sustainable growth in 14 countries, including South Africa. The bank’s vice-president, Ambroise Fayolle, has highlighted the hub’s role in financing the green transition and sustainable development. This is part of the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, focusing on renewable energy and infrastructure projects. To date, the bank has invested 164-billion-rand in the region.

# And, thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, as the Red River surges to its highest level in two decades. By yesterday, flood waters from the swollen river reached a metre high in parts of the city, forcing some residents to navigate their neighbourhoods by boat. Power has been cut to some districts because of safety concerns, with ten of Hanoi’s 30 administrative districts on flood alert. Vietnam is suffering the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, which killed at least 179 people.

Stay tuned for more news………….