9 November 2023

The weather has been unexpected! Although it’s officially winter, everyone is still wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt. Although peak summer weather had passed, Hong Kong experienced a Typhoon No 10, a Typhoon No 9, and a record-breaking Black Rainstorm in the months of September and October. Global warming is making Earth’s climate increasingly unpredictable, and it is affecting our lives in various ways. It is crucial that we better understand climate change.

On 9 November 2023, the School of Communication held its SCOM Talk Series #50. Two guests from the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), Ms Chan Man-yee, Chief Experimental Officer, and Mr Shum Chi-tai, Scientific Officer, were invited to speak at the talk and explain climate change to staff and students. They also shared how the Observatory disseminates climate messages in practical ways.

The talk was divided into two parts. In the first part, Ms Chan explained the causes of global warming in detail using scientific data. She pointed out that human activities generate greenhouse gases, which are the primary cause of the continual rise in temperature. She emphasised that the current greenhouse gases emissions have reached a staggering level of 56.4 billion tons per year, which is equivalent to the weight of 17 million Boeing 747 aircraft. These numbers show that climate change is at severe levels. She also cited data about the increasing numbers of reports of rising sea levels, glaciers melting, and extreme high temperatures. Coupled with the growing threats of intense tropical cyclones and storm surges, these phenomena are impacting food production and contributing to the spread of global diseases.

When discussing mitigation measures, Ms Chan cited examples of international cooperation and ongoing initiatives by governments and regions worldwide as efforts to address global warming. She encouraged individuals to contribute to the fight against global warming by making small changes in their daily lives to reduce carbon emissions and embrace low-carbon, green living.

The second part of the talk was presented by Mr Shum, who shared the communication efforts of the Hong Kong Observatory. He explained that in recent years, HKO has been focusing on the use of various social media platforms to communicate with the public and disseminate climate and weather messages to them.

“When the Hong Kong Observatory delivers weather information to the general public, it is important to be ‘down-to-earth’, which means that we need to effectively communicate with the public and convey the information to them”, he explained. He emphasised the importance of communicating with the public and provided examples of how HKO has been using social media to promote weather information in recent years. He also remarked that HKO has recruited staff with academic backgrounds in Communications to serve as social media editors. The objective to effectively provide diverse weather information through more innovative channels. Mr Shum also pointed out that HKO values the public’s feedback on the information it provides. Based on the public’s responses, the Observatory tunes adjusts its messaging, hoping that through such processes their communication effectiveness will continue to improve.

Both speakers mentioned that although their backgrounds are in science and that their primary focus is on research and analysis of scientific data, with the widespread use of social media in recent years, they have had to increase their interactions with the public. When asked if they feel pressured when HKO receives compliments and criticism from the public, they explained that they are relieved when their work is taken positively, but that the public’s safety is HKO’s top priority, and they will continue to serve the public by upholding the principle of basing their work on science.

Before the Talk, SCOM also arranged for the speakers to visit the School’s facilities and discuss production of weather report programmes.