Close to 80 per cent of low-income elderly residents in Hong Kong report suffering physical or mental distress related to extreme heat, a Greenpeace survey has found, highlighting the demographic’s vulnerability to rising temperatures.
Greenpeace said on Monday that it surveyed 127 residents aged 65 or above across seven districts with rapidly ageing populations. Among the respondents, more than half live in public rental flats while 35.4 per cent reside in “inadequate housing” such as subdivided units or rooftop squatter huts.
Those living alone or with an elderly partner accounted for 60 per cent of respondents, the NGO said.
The survey, conducted in June and July this year, found that 78.7 per cent of respondents reported experiencing at least one form of heat-related discomfort affecting their health, mood, or sleep. A total of 5.5 per cent said they had been hospitalised due to a heat-related illness in the past year.
‘Silent killer’
Greenpeace campaigner Prudence Yeung said in a statement that extreme heat is a “silent killer” for the elderly population.
“Elderly people are at high risk from extreme heat due to declining physiological functions, and some suffer from chronic illnesses,” Yeung was quoted as saying in the Chinese-language statement.
Between 2015 and 2024, the number of hospital discharges and deaths related to heatstroke among patients aged 65 or above rose 16-fold from four to 68, Yeung said, citing official data Greenpeace obtained from the Department of Health.
This increase was the sharpest among all age groups and did not include patients who were hospitalised due to other heat-related conditions, she added.
Greenpeace also found that more than 70 per cent of elderly residents tended to underestimate heat-related health risks, believing that they would not suffer from heatstroke if they stayed at home.
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About a third of respondents said they never or rarely use air conditioning, even during extreme temperatures. That figure rose to 55 per cent among those living in inadequate housing, with respondents citing a lack of air conditioner units or high electricity bills as their primary reasons.
Meanwhile, about 80 per cent of respondents said they had not received any heat-related community services, such as cooling supplies or educational resources, in the previous two years. This highlights a lack of social support surrounding rising temperatures, the NGO said.
Nearly 60 per cent found government support during extreme heat to be insufficient, while 27 per cent said they were unaware of any policy support. Close to 90 per cent said they had never visited a government heat shelter.
Greenpeace urged the authorities to set up a “people-centred” action plan for high temperatures, including strengthening efforts to promote heatstroke prevention awareness.
Hong Kong has seen record-breaking temperatures this summer. On August 9, the Observatory’s Tsim Sha Tsui headquarters recorded a maximum temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius – the highest since records began more than 140 years ago.
More record highs are expected this year, with the Observatory warning about the influence of climate change and a “super-strong” El Niño event currently intensifying in the Pacific Ocean.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the intensity and frequency of heatwaves have continued to increase since the 1950s due to human-caused climate change. The prevalence of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide – which trap heat in the atmosphere – raises the planet’s surface temperature, with hotter, longer heatwaves putting lives at risk.
See also: How extreme heat became the deadliest silent killer among world weather disasters
Hong Kong has already warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, research NGO Berkeley Earth says. Heat and humidity may reach lethal levels for protracted periods by the end of the century, according to a 2023 study, making it impossible to stay outdoors in some parts of the world.
