As Hong Kong feels the heat, it needs a robust climate resilience strategy

The record temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius logged by the Hong Kong Observatory last month is the strongest evidence yet that extreme heat is not just a distant or occasional inconvenience. The rising temperature underlines a growing challenge that many authorities around the world are still grappling with. The city must respond not merely with improved mechanisms for alerts when the mercury soars but with a complete climate-resilience strategy that protects workers, older people, low-income households and communities least able to escape the heat. The city is not alone in feeling the heat in this regard. Some countries in Europe have endured their hottest summer months on record, while the average global sea-surface temperature again reached an unprecedented high. The combination of a warming climate and powerful natural weather patterns is raising the likelihood of heatwaves and extreme rainfall. Hong Kong cannot insulate itself from the global trend. Its dense urban form, ageing population and poorly ventilated homes mean many households, especially those in substandard partitioned flats, are vulnerable. A sizeable outdoor workforce, including construction workers and street cleaners, is also at the mercy of the mercury in the high summer months. The Labour Department's rapid move to revamp the Heat Stress at Work Warning system is therefore a necessary and welcome step. Higher warnings can now be escalated more readily when the Hong Kong Observatory issues its extremely hot weather special alert or temperatures generally reach 35 degrees Celsius or above. That followed concerns that red or black alerts had never been issued since the three-tier mechanism was put in place in May 2023. Even when the temperature soared to 36.9 degrees Celsius on August 9, the highest since records began in 1884, only the lowest amber warning was issued. The episode may have given the impression that officials who design warning systems from air-conditioned offices do not fully feel the heat faced by those working outside. It also understandably left workers hot under the collar. A work safety warning system that appears disconnected from reality does little to show the government's commitment to occupational health and safety. Officials say the revised mechanism with a lower threshold will make the issuing of higher alerts easier. It is estimated that the red warning could be issued four to seven days a year as a result, while the black alert could be triggered one or two days a year.