Mongabay · Climate & nature

Hong Kong Faces Rising Heat Risks for Outdoor Workers

As Hong Kong experiences increasingly extreme temperatures, concerns are mounting over the health risks faced by outdoor workers. The city is warming significantly, leading to longer and hotter summers.

Outdoor workers like cleaners and construction laborers are exposed to significant heat-stress-related health problems, including dizziness, nausea, and heatstroke. These conditions can also worsen pre-existing chronic illnesses.

Wong Ping-kuong, a 74-year-old outdoor cleaner, has observed a noticeable increase in heat during his half-century career, noting that he now sweats profusely even in the morning.

While some workers can find temporary relief indoors, heatstroke can set in rapidly, within 10 to 15 minutes of exposure.

Hong Kong is warming at a rate of nearly half a degree Celsius per decade, according to official figures. The number of 'very hot days' has quadrupled since the 2000s.

Record-breaking temperatures have been recorded, with the Hong Kong Observatory logging 36.9°C (98.4°F) in August 2023, the highest since 1884. Outlying areas experienced even higher temperatures that day.

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