bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Ernest Kao

The lessons learned from two super typhoons in the past two years highlight an urgent need for Hong Kong to protect coastal areas from extreme weather, academics, business leaders and policymakers warned at a climate change conference in the city on Monday.
When the next monster storm hit, the results could be much worse, they cautioned.
The three-day event, which ended on Monday, was hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. More than 500 speakers, stakeholders and experts gathered for the conference.
It came two weeks after the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a special report on global warming outlining the impacts of global temperatures rising 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of 2 degrees. The panel said “rapid and far-reaching” societal changes would be needed.


More severe weather extremes are in store and Hong Kong would have to design policies and infrastructure to withstand the onslaught, experts said at the conference.
“With Typhoon Mangkhut we realised there are still some gaps, it’s about continuous learning,” said event chairwoman Christine Loh Kung-wai, a former Hong Kong environment undersecretary. “Our defence was good but we noticed there were new lessons to learn.”
To see how climate change is up close and very personal, look no further than Mangkhut’s havoc
Mangkhut hit in September and was the strongest storm on record to lash the city.
Ocean-related challenges have been identified as major hurdles for Hong Kong. Heavier rainstorms affecting larger areas were expected as seas warmed, conference speakers said.

Hong Kong Observatory director Shun Chi-ming said sea level rises were one of the most important challenges and the city had to plan for the worst.
While Mangkhut broke many records, Hong Kong enjoyed a lucky escape from its worst excesses as the storm was barely a fully fledged super typhoon as it closed in and did not make direct landfall over the city, Shun said.
Climate change? It goes back and forth, says Trump on tour of hurricane-hit states
Had the storm not weakened over Luzon in the northern Philippines, the story could have been different, he added.
“Our modelling assessments at the time were really shocking – some of our worst figures were 5 metres of storm surge in Victoria Harbour. For Tolo Harbour, Sha Tin and Tai Po we obtained a number of 7 metres,” he said.

The actual figures were eventually 3.9 metres in Victoria Harbour and 4.7 at Tolo Harbour.
Zhang Limin, a geotechnical engineering professor at HKUST, said governments would have to consider different strategies to adapt – including moving inhabitants away from coastlines, elevating properties, or building protection in the form of higher sea walls or structures that could float.
“What’s enough now might not be good enough in the future, so we need a little bit more action. For example, raising public awareness, natural disaster and emergency preparedness, and cross-disciplinary cooperation,” Zhang said.
Climate change is bad for your mental health – and the situation will only get worse
“Resilience should be central to infrastructure design.”
Zhang Xuebin of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation said the effects of ocean warming would become harder to reverse than those of air temperature increases.


“Even if we undertake lots of mitigation work this century, it is guaranteed the seas will continue to warm until 2100,” he said.
Other problems include ocean acidification as a result of increased carbon dioxide intake, and eutrophication – an excess of nutrients in the water that can lead to ecologically disastrous algal blooms.
According to some studies, every 1 degree rise in sea surface temperatures will lead to a 2 per cent decrease in oxygen levels in the water.
These “dead zones” where oceans become depleted of oxygen – a phenomenon known as hypoxia – are growing in and around Hong Kong and Macau waters, according to researchers with HKUST’s Ocean-HK programme.


WTO faults US in dispute brought by China over clean energy subsidies

Hong Kong chef Peggy Chan wins Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ first Champions of Change Award

Caribbean island wins climate case against Netherlands forcing Dutch action on rising seas

On EV targets, Europe should take a page from China’s playbook

Climate change

Protect coastal areas from stronger storms as world warms, experts urge Hong Kong

Strong waves hit Heng Fa Chuen on Hong Kong Island during Typhoon Mangkhut in September. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong Observatory director Shun Chi-ming attends a radio programme at Commercial Radio in Kowloon Tong 21APR18 SCMP / Edward Wong

Interview with Under Secretary for the Environment, Christine Loh Kung-wai at Central Government Offices in Admiralty. 10MAY17 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment


City must design policies and infrastructure to withstand the onslaught, speakers tell conference



City must design policies and infrastructure to withstand the onslaught, speakers tell conference.


Hong Kong environmental issues

Protect coastal areas from stronger storms as world warms, experts urge Hong Kong

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} City must design policies and infrastructure to withstand the onslaught, speakers tell conference

City must design policies and infrastructure to withstand the onslaught, speakers tell conference