No escape from climate change, as Hong Kong's freak storms remind us
Wang Binbin says the recent freak weather in Hong Kong serves as a reminder that the effects of climate change are never far away and are already being felt, especially by the poor, in the form of rising food prices
Photos of Festival Walk have been doing the rounds recently as Hongkongers paused to marvel at the storm-battered mall that was turned, temporarily, into a waterfall-filled urban jungle as the city was pounded by golf-ball-sized hailstones. The shopping centre has since dried off, but we shouldn't get too comfortable: according to the Observatory's records, April has, in the past, averaged more instances of hail than March.
There is another reason why we shouldn't just dismiss this as a freak storm and go back to our daily lives. The falling hailstones were not merely a harbinger of a suspension in shopping activities; they were an indication of just how close the effects of climate change are to us.
The trend has, in fact, started taking its toll on food production and, by extension, food prices. We would do well to heed the signs, because soon the victims of extreme weather events will not be just a few flooded streets or malls, but the low-income families living among us who already struggle to put food on the table.
Last Monday, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the second instalment of its fifth assessment report. The document sounded a clear warning about the pervasive impact of climate change. Its release marks several firsts: it is the first time the IPCC has recognised that more extreme weather means more extreme food prices. It is the first time it has acknowledged that poor countries face a gap in the funding needed to adapt to climate change - to the tune of US$100 billion per year. Tellingly, it is also the first time the IPCC has included a chapter on livelihoods and poverty.
Some have said rising temperatures can help farmers grow crops better. This report flies in the face of such suggestions, showing that climate change has already affected food production, lowering wheat and maize yields. Harvests will continue to be affected in the future.