Hong Kong had its warmest summer on record this year, with record-breaking temperatures, the government stated Monday, making the city the latest place to feel the effects of global warming.
Climate change has already contributed to scorching temperatures around the world this year, with India, Japan, and Australia declaring last week that recent temperature records had been broken.
Officials in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese region, said on Monday that together with the exceptionally hot weather in June and July, Hong Kong experienced the hottest summer on record from June to August 2023.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the city saw the hottest August on record last month, with a monthly mean temperature of 29.7 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit).
This year also saw the third and fourth hottest July and June since records began in 1884.
After 2018, the top three warmest years in Hong Kong’s history were all recorded.
“The month of August was also much drier than usual with a total rainfall of 140.7 millimetres (5.5 inches)”, the Observatory continued.
The temperature records throughout the world have been falling in recent years as climate change makes meteorological conditions more variable.
Early in the summer, Beijing set a record high of 41.1 degrees Celsius (105.98 Fahrenheit) on a June day.
Scientists believe that the intensification of heat waves is caused by global warming, which is connected to our reliance on fossil fuels.
According to the experts, climate change has also increased the intensity of tropical storms, with heavier rain and stronger gusts causing to flash floods and coastal damage.
Super Typhoon Saola slammed Hong Kong over the weekend, but the city escaped major damage.
The Hong Kong government has underlined the importance of protecting workers from heat stress but stopped short of establishing additional legislative safeguards.
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