Editorial | City must prepare for the impact of climate change

The new findings by the US-based Climate Central have renewed concerns over our preparedness in this regard. As a result of heat-trapping pollution, the group warned that rising sea levels could within three decades push chronic floods higher than land currently home to 300 million people around the world. In Hong Kong, the coastal areas that are now home to 850,000 people could be under the water by the end of the century. The places to be inundated include the airport, West Kowloon, Kai Tak and Northeast New Territories.

The study is not the first of its kind. The Hong Kong government has had its own projections in the past, although not as alarming as the latest one. Understandably, the findings are affected by the parameters and assumptions. Whatever the scale of the potential impact, no authorities can dismiss the threat of rising sea level caused by global warming. In the case of Hong Kong, what used to be the worst floods in a century have seemingly become more common in recent years. Even if the future is not going to be as bad as projected, the need for better safeguards remains unchanged.

Creating more oyster reefs along the city’s coastline has been touted as a possible solution. According to the body overseeing a shellfish project in northeast New Territories, oyster reefs could rise up to a few metres and act as a first barrier to slow storm surges and reduce damage to coastal communities. The Netherlands has been experimenting with a combination of oyster reefs and dykes to protect itself against flooding. While such projects may well be an effective way to mitigate the impact, rising sea level is best tackled through measures to slow down climate change. That requires concerted policy intervention at higher levels. It would seem prudent for governments around the world to expeditiously work out more vigorous initiatives to combat global warming.