Good day, listeners!

You have probably seen the shocking news about wildfires tearing through Los Angeles, California. These disasters are not just ‘bad luck’—they’re a warning sign for all of us.

This is Tom Ng from Greenpeace Hong Kong. Today, let’s talk about something urgent: climate change. Climate change is here, and extreme weather is hitting communities everywhere, from burning forests in California, to flooded streets in Hong Kong. The weather we once called ‘normal’ is gone. We need to act now—not just to protect ourselves, but to give future generations a fighting chance.

Since early 2025, neighborhoods in California have been swallowed by flames, families displaced from homes, and firefighters pushed to their limits.

These are not ordinary wildfires—they are the second-most destructive fires in California's history.

We might have heard that wildfires are a natural part of California’s ecosystem. Yet, California’s fire seasons usually peak from July to September due to dry summers, high temperatures, and low humidity. But this time, the winter wildfire was supercharged by climate change. As the planet heats up, California is getting hotter and drier all year round.

Last year, California shattered temperature records—hitting over 43°C in many areas! Extreme heat sucks moisture from plants and soil. Scientists said that vegetation in fire-prone zones got 25% drier than it would be without climate change. Imagine green forests turned into kindling—that is exactly what’s happening.

But heat alone doesn’t explain the crisis. Climate change also twists weather patterns as well.

In the last decades, the western U.S.A., including California, suffered a severe drought that ended just two years ago. Then came the unusually wet winters in 2022 and 2023, triggering explosive growth of grasses and shrubs. But then 2024, the world’s hottest year on record, California faced a brutal dry spell. The region saw almost no rain after May, leaving all that new growth bone-dry and ready to be burned.

Would these winter fires still happen without climate change? Possibly—but they might be smaller, slower, and easier to contain. Experts suggested that human-caused warming has doubled the risk of extreme wildfires in California. This isn’t just theory: data shows that 75% of the state’s 20 most destructive wildfires occurred within the past 10 years.

Yet, California is not alone. From Australia’s 'Black Summer' fires to the Siberian Wildfires burning at record rates and scale, climate change is fueling disasters globally.

Hotter temperatures, longer droughts, and unpredictable rain patterns create a vicious cycle: drier land, more flammable vegetation, and faster-spreading fires. What we’re witnessing is a new era of climate-driven disasters— ones that spiral beyond our ability to control them.

You might ask: ‘Why care about California’s fires? We don’t have that kind of wildfire here in Hong Kong.’ But climate change doesn’t play favorites. While Hong Kong’s crisis looks different, it’s just as real.

Last year, Hong Kong saw 11 months warmer than average, with April and October hitting record highs. 2024 was the hottest year ever for us in Hong Kong, mirroring global trends.

It’s not just heat. In the autumn of 2023, back-to-back typhoons and record-breaking rains flooded streets and subways, shutting the city down for days.

These disasters affected everyone in the city, but hit vulnerable groups hardest:

Families in airless sub-divided flats, elderly without cooling, and outdoor workers working under summer heats. And those who had to rush to work, or even work under typhoons and heavy rain conditions. They have the less ability to prepare for and cope with climate hazards

They are the group that consumes less, drives less, and pollutes less than wealthy groups.

Yet, they face the highest risks.

When facing human-caused climate change, it isn’t just about saving and planting trees, it is also about protecting those who did the least to cause this crisis.

Greenpeace is urging stakeholders around the globe to take immediate action, and in Hong Kong, we demand the government include a clear roadmap to the 2050 decarbonization target, investments in solar and wind energy, and to implement policies to protect vulnerable communities from climate impacts.

However, tackling climate change isn’t just the responsibility of governments or NGOs.

Each of us has a role to play. Whether to reduce our own carbon footprint, Or to support local climate initiatives, Or just simply raise awareness about these issues, every action counts. The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and it is gonna take all of us working together to overcome it.

Before I sign off, I’d like to dedicate a song to everyone who’s fighting for a better, greener future. It’s Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell. You’ve probably heard the line: ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.’ It’s a reminder to cherish what we have before it’s too late—our forests, our oceans, our clean air.

At Greenpeace, that’s what we’re working to protect. Thank you for listening. Let’s keep pushing for a world where people and nature thrive. This is Tom Ng from Greenpeace Hong Kong. Stay safe, stay loud, and let’s build a greener future together