SCMP: Just weeks ago, Hongkongers were worrying about unusually dry weather. April, May and June this year were relatively dry – flowers wilted early, reservoirs dipped, and farmers across the New Territories and Lantau feared crop losses. Then came July and these early days of August: torrential downpours, landslides, flash floods and back-to-back black rainstorm warnings that brought the city to a standstill.
What we are witnessing isn’t just erratic weather. It’s climate whiplash – and it’s happening right on our doorstep.

What is climate whiplash? It’s the rapid, extreme shift between prolonged drought and intense rainfall. As global temperatures rise, the atmosphere holds more moisture, fuelling both extremes. Dry spells become longer and more severe; when the rain finally comes, it’s often too much, too fast and too destructive.

Hong Kong has made considerable strides in upgrading its drainage infrastructure. Over the past decade, the Drainage Services Department has implemented key improvements – from building underground stormwater storage tanks to enhancing drainage channels – to help the city better withstand extreme rain.
The department has also taken important steps in integrating green elements through river revitalisation projects that enhance biodiversity and public spaces. Similarly, the Civil Engineering and Development Department has piloted urban forest initiatives in the northern New Territories.
However, as climate change accelerates and extreme weather becomes more difficult to predict, these efforts must go further. The Northern Metropolis and other large-scale developments are being constructed on vulnerable lowlands and floodplains – areas historically protected by natural buffers like wetlands and mangroves.
While the city has invested heavily in engineered solutions, it still lacks sufficient nature-based infrastructure – such as sponge parks, restored wetlands, permeable pavements and mangrove buffers – that can reduce flood risk, enhance biodiversity and improve urban liveability.

To further reinforce our solid foundation of climate resilience, Hong Kong can embrace an integrated approach that combines grey and green infrastructure. This is not only critical for public safety, but also aligns with our responsibility to contribute to the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan and the global Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Indeed, the latest version of the national plan identifies Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities as a key strategic region for biodiversity conservation and ecological connectivity.

As one of the most urbanised and economically advanced cities in the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong has a unique opportunity to lead by example. By investing in green infrastructure and promoting a nature-positive vision for development, the city can enhance its own climate resilience while inspiring cross-border cooperation on ecological protection. With the right vision and tools, Hong Kong can be both a model and a catalyst for regional action.

This matters now more than ever. These aren’t once-in-a-decade weather anomalies. They are becoming seasonal. Yet our planning, housing and insurance systems remain reactive. Vulnerable communities – including residents of subdivided flats, and hillside and coastal homes – are often hit first and worst.

The good news is that we are not starting from zero. Around the world, nature-based solutions are gaining momentum as a cost-effective and scalable way to address climate, biodiversity and social challenges at once. In China, the aspiration to be an ecological civilisation is at the heart of the national development vision.

In partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources has established the Nature-based Solutions Asia Hub. In June, Shanghai launched its own city-level Nature-based Solutions Hub to further capacity building, demonstrations and international exchange.

It is time for the Hong Kong government to step up. Establishing a Hong Kong nature-based solutions hub would position our city as a regional leader in resilience and urban innovation. Such a hub could facilitate training, research, cross-border collaboration and pilot projects, while showcasing to the rest of Asia that even dense, highly urbanised cities like Hong Kong can embrace nature and climate-smart development. If Hong Kong can do it, others can too.

We must also invest in education and awareness. Today, only 2 per cent of secondary school development plans in Hong Kong mention climate change – a troubling gap. Without informed citizens and empowered youth, no policy can succeed. Climate and biodiversity education must become a core part of schooling, supported by more youth programmes that turn knowledge into action and build the next generation of climate leaders.

The rain may stop, but the urgency shouldn’t. Climate whiplash is not a future risk; it’s already here. If Hong Kong continues to treat these events as isolated weather disruptions, it will miss the bigger message.

Black rain is not just a storm warning – it’s a message. And if we ignore it, we risk much more than flood damage.

Originally published on SCMP on 10 Aug 2025. Written by Kitty Tam.