Hong Kong's Plan to Save Itself From Typhoons, Extreme Weather, Climate Change - Bloomberg
Hong Kong's Plan to Save Itself From Typhoons, Extreme Weather, Climate Change - Bloomberg
Monster Floods Push Hong Kong to Confront a Changing Climate
The unprecedented rainfall that hit the city in September is forcing it to finally address a future where extreme weather will be more frequent.
Hong Kong’s government recently articulated for the first time a plan for how it will deal with extreme weather in the future, a need that crystalized with a series of catastrophic rainstorms in September.
Chief Executive John Lee addressed the city’s climate resilience in a policy speech last month, marking a break from his predecessor who focused only on reducing carbon emissions. His measures include an HK$8 billion ($1 billion) plan to improve drainage, and the use of big data and AI to improve hazard forecasts and alerts.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”