Hong Kong Med J 2023;29(Suppl 4):S16-7
Climate change beliefs, perceptions of climate change–related health risk, and responses to heat-related risks among Hong Kong adults: abridged secondary publication
Q Liao1, R Fielding1, WWT Lam1, L Yang2, L Tian1, TC Lee3
1 School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
3 Climate Information Services and Tropical Cyclone, Hong Kong Observatory, Hong Kong SAR, China
 
 
  1. Psychological distance is an important contributor to low public engagement with climate change in Hong Kong.
  2. A significant proportion of Hong Kong adults were sceptical about the personal and local relevance of climate change impacts, were optimistic about the ability of government, technology, and international organisations in controlling climate change, and perceived low personal responsibility for climate change mitigation.
  3. Among Hong Kong adults, perceived heat-related health risk was low to moderate if heat waves occurred. Participants who were more sceptical and optimistic about climate change and disengaged regarding personal responsibility in climate change mitigation perceived lower heat-related health risk.