LettersWhat Hong Kong must do to survive the deadly impact of a warming Earth

When global warming hits Hong Kong, deadly heatwaves will become more frequent; we will experience heavier rainfall yet remain water-stressed; food availability will decrease and prices will increase. Before this city becomes even less liveable, we must act

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A dried-up Lau Shui Heung Reservoir in Fanling, as Hong Kong sweltered through a record-breaking heatwave in May 2018. Photo: Winson Wong

Published: 8:00am, 6 Dec 2019Updated: 8:00am, 6 Dec 2019

The UN Climate Change Conference COP25 started this week in Madrid. While some might find it tiring to be constantly reminded about the looming threat of climate change, the reality is that climate change is real and accelerating.

We passed 1 degree Celsius of warming in 2015 and are likely to reach 2 degrees by 2050, at the current pace. These numbers may not sound like a lot, but bear in mind how a couple of degrees’ difference in body temperature would mean the start of a fever.

For the Earth, as for Hong Kong, this means the deadly heatwaves we have seen will become a regular occurrence. Water availability will change – we will experience heavier rainfall yet remain water-stressed in Hong Kong, as the flow of the Dongjiang, the eastern tributary of the Pearl River, becomes less stable. Disease outbreaks will be more common, as milder winters allow mosquitoes, cockroaches and rodents to propagate.

Also, while plants may enjoy the higher levels of carbon dioxide initially, hotter temperatures and water scarcity would make them less productive. Subsequently, food availability will decrease and food prices will increase as regions become less suitable for agriculture. This is just a small list of the possible impacts of unmitigated climate change.

Climate change threatens the liveability of Hong Kong, which has already fallen behind other international cities. Although the window of opportunity is closing, we can still limit global warming if we take action now.

For example, the government should task power companies with decarbonising energy grids and making a switch to renewable energy. Renewable energy is already cost-competitive and becomes an even better option when we consider the impact of fossil fuels on health and the environment.