On May 23, Hong Kong recorded the hottest day in May since records began in 1884, as temperatures hit 36.1℃ at the Observatory weather station.
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What is Happening?
- According to the Observatory, “under the influence of an anticyclone aloft, very hot weather will persist over the coast of Guangdong in the next couple of days.” The Centre for Health Protection warned Hongkongers to be wary of heat stroke.
- May 23’s temperature dwarfed the previous record of 35.5℃ in 1963.
- The past two years have been the hottest Hong Kong has seen records began.
- As sea levels rise and climate change accelerates, super typhoons will begin to occur every decade by 2050, according to Greenpeace. Last year, the NGO warned that “about 28 square kilometres of Hong Kong coastal lands, equivalent to 147 Victoria Parks, will be under seawater, affecting nearly 100 000 human lives.”
- Greenpeace Hong Kong is lobbying district councils to proactively tackle the climate crisis, urging the government to study the impacts of climate change, identify high-risk areas, create long-term response strategies, improve emergency response capabilities and propel the development of renewable energy and energy conservation in order to mitigate the climate crisis.
- In 2020, Hong Kong saw 47 days with temperatures over 33℃, which is classified as “very hot” by the Observatory.
- According to the Observatory, the heat wave is expected to continue into next week, with highs of 33℃ predicted for Monday through till Wednesday, while the city will see showers from Thursday onwards.
- Hong Kong has set a carbon neutrality target for 2050. The government says that it aims to do so through a variety of means, including exploring new environmentally-friendly technology, enhancing the energy efficiency of buildings, promoting zero-carbon vehicles and building large-scale waste-to-energy facilities.
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