Hongkongers have experienced extreme weather recently. Super Typhoon Ragasa in late September was the second No 10 typhoon warning of the year, and the strongest tropical cyclone globally of the year at the time of its approach. A black rainstorm on August 5 lasted more than 11 hours and triggered torrential floods. This October was the hottest since records began in 1884.<\/p>\n
These events are being felt around the planet. The World Meteorological Organization reported 151 \u201cunprecedented\u201d extreme weather events in 2024, the hottest year on record. These heatwaves, supercharged storms and severe floods wreaked havoc around the globe.<\/p>\n
Their impact is taking a toll on people\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
A March 2025 study from Trinity College Dublin published in The Journal of Climate Change and Health found that chronic climate stressors like food insecurity and water scarcity due to drought are fuelling a mental health crisis, especially among adolescents in severely affected places such as Madagascar, with reports of extreme levels of anxiety, depression and a profound sense of hopelessness.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>A November 2025 study from the University at Buffalo in New York State, published in the journal Climatic Change, found a link between greater social media use and higher levels of climate doom: the belief that climate change has reached a point of no return.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n