This time last year I was in Tibet , where temperatures climbed to 28 degrees Celsius - some 10 degrees higher than average. Even in the ecologically fragile Tibetan highlands, at altitudes of 3,800 metres, global warming has become more evident in recent years, according to Lhasa's environmental officials.
Last month I was in Shenzhen, where factories experience frequent electricity stoppages and water rationing. Excess demand causes power cuts, and the daily threat of halts to production. Irrigation is limited for the city's urban green spaces.
Beijing estimates that natural disasters such as droughts, floods, hurricanes and landslides cause annual economic losses of more than 100 billion yuan - affecting 40 million hectares of farmland and some 200 million people. In Hong Kong, a mid-summer hailstorm raised public awareness of extreme weather occurrences, bringing a sense of the global climate threats closer to home.
The climate threat is scary. But living in denial is scarier. Our government passes laws forcing all citizens to wear seat belts in case of traffic accidents. But it fails to take measures that will protect the same citizens from climate threats. Denial is an enemy of the people. Complacency is a betrayal of the truth. Hong Kong is on low-lying land, vulnerable to natural disasters and a potential rise in sea levels.
Higher temperatures increase the demand for electricity to run air conditioners, and boost the number of people with heat stress, and respiratory and communicable diseases. Hong Kong is not only reliant on fossil fuels, it also has one of the highest per-capita rates of energy consumption in the world.
In comparison with other developed countries, Hong Kong lacks legislation, strategies, incentives and education to deal with climate change. It has made only a minimal commitment to renewable energy, electricity conservation and energy efficiency. With no dedicated energy department, the responsibility for energy policy rests with many different government departments. This results in fragmented control, and a lack of leadership in planning a sustainable future in energy use.