Climate Change: Water Crisis
When Hong Kong people switch on the tap, fresh water comes out. It's a no-brainer. In Hong Kong, fresh water is taken for granted not only because it is always available at our finger tips, but also it is priced as if this invaluable resource would last forever. But it wouldn't.
"Day Zero" has already dawned on some parts of the world.We need to stay vigilant of the intricate connections between climate change, global water crisis and us, such that we, as global citizens and professionals, can do something within our capacities to help.
How do cities cope with their fresh water supply? Singapore is a nation-city who buys water from its neighbor - Malaysia. But Singapore government has kept exploring innovative ways to secure its water future since the day of independence. Why? A few days after independence, the Malaysian Prime Minister said this: "If Singapore doesn't do what I want, I'll switch off the water supply."
80% of Hong Kong water is also imported. Dongjiang, on which Hong Kong relied heavily for supply of fresh water, is also the mother river to seven other Mainland cities, including the populated Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Perhaps Hong Kong can draw resemblance of Singaporean’s situation, think ahead, while we can still expend water quite lavishly.
Singapore is Innovating to Secure its Water Future - Running Dry
Publisher: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Can Sea Water Desalination Save the World?
Publisher: CNBC
Water scarcity is frightening, equally is too much water! Coastal countries/cities are expected to be the hardest hit in the era of rising sea level. In the following video, let's have a look at the innovative ways New York is planning to combat sea level rise:
This is what Sea Level Rise will do to Coastal Cities
Publisher: Verge Science
Did you know, the per capita water footprint of Hong Kong are significantly above the global averages? According to a 2016 OECD report, Hong Kong was ranked among Top 3 on daily per capita water consumption, which brings home the message – let us help by tuning our own habits as a start:
Global Water Crisis
Publisher: Global Climate News
The HKIP-ETC "Professional Knowledge One-Click Away!" initiative aims to share new profession-related online videos with members on a monthly basis. Links of the current and past videos can now be found on the HKIP website under Publications & Learning Resources > Planning-related Knowledge. Should you have any interesting videos which you'd like to share with other members, we welcome you to make suggestions to us!