The unprecedented five black rainstorms in Hong Kong this year have exposed major weaknesses in the city’s climate defence strategy, with authorities underestimating risks and eroding public confidence, a top climate scientist has warned, as he called for a review of workplace guidelines to better protect workers in extreme weather.
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The warning on Friday by Professor Benjamin Horton, dean of City University’s School of Energy and Environment, was echoed by NGO Greenpeace, which urged the government to assess the impact of extreme weather on Hong Kong’s infrastructure, public health and economy, and to conduct extensive public consultation before the city’s Climate Action Plan is updated next year.
“In Hong Kong, we’re seeing outdated climate projections guiding infrastructure decisions, even as warming, rainfall levels and sea level rise surpass worst-case scenarios,” Horton said.
“Drainage systems are overwhelmed, public confidence is eroding, and decarbonisation targets are still vague and unenforceable. Emergency responses are reactive, not proactive.”
Horton, a former director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, pointed to a critical discrepancy in official planning. His latest research suggests a potential sea-level rise of more than two metres (6.6 feet) under a high-emissions scenario, yet the Hong Kong Observatory’s projections, which guide infrastructure policy, prepare for a rise of only 0.63 to 1.07 metres by the end of the century.
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“Despite Hong Kong’s commendable efforts to build resilience against climate extremes – through advanced infrastructure, emergency planning, and public awareness – the recent black rainstorms reveal a sobering truth: the worst is yet to come,” he said.