66 h. ago China, India and Brazil set to steer global climate change agenda at Cop30

As the West falters in its commitment to fighting climate change, analysts expect emerging economies led by China, India and Brazil to seize the initiative at next month’s UN climate summit. The Cop30 conference, from November 10 to 21 in the Brazilian city of Belem, comes as the United States under Donald Trump remains largely disengaged from climate challenges following his successive orders to withdraw the world’s largest economy from the 2015 Paris Agreement, while Europe’s attention appears...

Politics

5 d. ago Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: Red Cross team prepares for disasters beyond Ragasa

When Super Typhoon Ragasa hit Hong Kong last month, nearly 80 Red Cross staff and volunteers worked for 74 hours before, during and after the storm to help residents living in flood-prone areas. In Tai O, the team – comprising 43 Red Cross staff and 34 volunteers – helped residents raise their furniture and issued weather alerts to more than 500 people. As the storm intensified, volunteers distributed 200 sandbags to Sai Kung and Sham Tseng, and supported emergency shelters. Afterwards, they...

Events

9 d. ago 2 weeks needed to repair path damaged by typhoon on remote Hong Kong island

A hiking path on a remote Hong Kong island damaged by Super Typhoon Ragasa will require two weeks for repairs, authorities have said, while a green group urged the government to conduct a study on the attraction’s capacity for tourists as it becomes increasingly popular. The eastern island of Tung Ping Chau, which like much of the city was wrecked by Super Typhoon Ragasa in September, has become a major draw among mainland Chinese tourists seeking more novel experiences. But when the Post...

Events

1 week ago Summers in Japan longer by 3 weeks over 42 years, researchers say

Japanese summers have lengthened by about three weeks over the 42 years from 1982 to 2023, a university research group said on Saturday. The Mie University group said that due to climate change, the number of days classified as summer has increased each year, while the length of winter has remained relatively unchanged, and the average durations of spring and autumn have shortened. The group cited “the rise in sea surface temperatures due to global warming” as the main factor, warning that “the...

Politics

1 week ago Key bee and butterfly species in Europe face extinction risk: study

The survival of Europe’s wild pollinators is increasingly at risk, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said on Saturday as it declared dozens of bee and butterfly species as threatened. Almost all flowering plants in Europe depend on wild pollinators, particularly bees, but habitat loss and climate change have driven many vital species to the brink of extinction. Nearly 100 additional types of wild bees have been classified as threatened in the most comprehensive evaluation...

Events

1 week ago Developing economies face tough reforms as global aid and credit shrink

For developing nations, the storm clouds of deglobalisation and climate change grow darker by the day. These challenges demand an increasingly prominent role for the state, not only as a buffer against the economic shocks that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable but also as an architect of resilience. Governments in poorer countries must fund vast investments in infrastructure, sustainable energy, healthcare and education to inject dynamism into their economies. But the unresolved...

Politics

1 week ago How poorer nations can fund development as global aid and credit retreat

For developing nations, the storm clouds of deglobalisation and climate change grow darker by the day. These challenges demand an increasingly prominent role for the state, not only as a buffer against the economic shocks that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable but also as an architect of resilience. Governments in poorer countries must fund vast investments in infrastructure, sustainable energy, healthcare and education to inject dynamism into their economies. But the unresolved...

Politics

1 week ago This video does not show Hongkonger knocked over during Super Typhoon Ragasa

With the rise of social media and generative AI, how much of what we see online is true? In this new series, SCMP Fact-Check, the Post investigates claims circulating online and debunks viral misinformation impacting the daily lives of Hongkongers. A Facebook reel was posted on September 24 – the day Super Typhoon Ragasa edged as close as 100km south of Hong Kong – and has since been shared at least 18,000 times. “Typhoon Ragasa hits Hong Kong with 240 mph winds today Sep 24, 2025 [sic],” the...

Politics

1 week ago Does Hong Kong need to criminalise storm chasing or will idea blow over?

Super Typhoon Ragasa recently passed within about 120km of Hong Kong and led to the No 10 warning signal being raised. Thankfully, advance warning of the storm and comprehensive preparations in Hong Kong and mainland China, including the evacuation of nearly 2 million people in high-risk areas of Guangdong, averted catastrophe. Still, the impact was significant, with 101 injuries reported in Hong Kong and substantial property damage. Among the debris left in Ragasa’s wake is a debate over...

Events

2 w. ago Mainland Chinese visitors seek new adventures on Hong Kong’s far

Mainland Chinese tourists in search of more novel experiences in Hong Kong have been going to far-flung islands and even ventured to the remote Tung Ping Chau, only to find debris left over from Super Typhoon Ragasa’s passage last month. While visitors said the eastern island’s clear waters were mesmerising, others spoke about waiting hours for the only ferry service that could bring them back to Sha Tin’s Ma Liu Shui Pier during Tuesday’s public holiday following the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tung...

Politics

2 w. ago Climate change behind 36% of damage inflicted by Typhoon Ragasa in China

Climate change behind 36% of damage inflicted by Typhoon Ragasa in China  Yale Climate Connections

Society

2 w. ago Unrelated clips falsely misrepresented as Super Typhoon Ragasa's impact in China

Unrelated clips falsely misrepresented as Super Typhoon Ragasa's impact in China  Yahoo

Politics

2 w. ago Climate change made damage from Super Typhoon Ragasa significantly worse: study

Climate change may have been responsible for more than a third of the direct damage to homes and property caused by the super typhoon that struck southern China last month, a study has concluded. A warming Earth also made Ragasa – the strongest storm recorded this year – more powerful when it made landfall in Guangdong province, according to researchers from Imperial College London. They added that as the planet continued to warm, tropical cyclones were expected to become increasingly...

Society

2 w. ago How China was ready for Super Typhoon Ragasa – and what still needs to be done

Super Typhoon Ragasa may have been the biggest storm of its kind in the world this year, but when it made landfall in mainland China last month, it left no fatalities in its wake. Rewind to 2018 when Mangkhut, the last super typhoon to hit Guangdong province, struck and at least four people were killed in southern China. Typhoon Hato also left nine dead in Guangdong in 2017, and Typhoon Fanapi caused 34 deaths in the coastal province in 2010. The contrast is even sharper when compared with the...

Politics

2 w. ago Waterbomb Hong Kong music festival postponed this weekend due to typhoon forecast

A water-themed music festival scheduled for this weekend has been postponed due to a forecast of possible strong winds and an approaching typhoon. Waterbomb Hong Kong 2025 said on Wednesday that tickets purchased would be refunded in accordance with the policies of each ticketing platform, and further details regarding the rescheduled date would be announced as soon as possible. The organiser said it had learned from the impact of Super Typhoon Ragasa, which caused significant damage across Hong...

Events

2 w. ago Fourth storm in five weeks threatens after Hong Kong recovers from Ragasa

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is bracing for its fourth storm in five weeks, with a typhoon forecast to move close to the city this weekend, hot on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa which brought life to a standstill for two days last week. The Hong Kong Observatory said on Wednesday that a tropical depression formed earlier in the day to the east of the Philippines would...

Events

2 w. ago Fourth storm in 5 weeks threatens after Hong Kong recovers from Ragasa

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong is bracing for its fourth storm in five weeks, with one forecast to move close to the city this weekend, hot on the heels of Super Typhoon Ragasa, which brought life to a standstill for two days last week. The Hong Kong Observatory said on Wednesday that a tropical depression formed earlier in the day to the east of the Philippines would intensify...

Events

3 w. ago Hong Kong’s extreme weather body tasked with bolstering typhoon response works

Hong Kong’s leader has tasked the government’s steering committee on handling extreme weather with improving works and facilities in typhoon-vulnerable areas after the city was brought to a standstill by Super Typhoon Ragasa last week. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the government had managed to minimise and swiftly recover from the damage of Ragasa, allowing business activities to resume last Wednesday night and society to largely return to normal the next day. Lee said...

Politics

3 w. ago Asia must enlist nature’s defences against fury of extreme weather

Bali turned into torrents of mud and debris recently as floods killed at least 18 and displaced hundreds. Cars and motorbikes were swept away and tourists evacuated from hotels. The disaster was fuelled by days of heavy rainfall that overwhelmed rivers already narrowed by upstream deforestation and rapid development. The resort island was, for several days, gripped by chaos. Almost simultaneously, typhoon Ragasa tore across the Philippines before curving towards China’s coast. Winds flattened...

Politics

3 w. ago China's coastal land development policies may outweigh climate change in future flood risks

China's coastal land development policies may outweigh climate change in future flood risks  Phys.org

Events