January 2021 – by Chloe Ching, Bella Lo, Maria-Coletta Huda, Nathan Burgard & Ioannis Kyriacou
The below field research was conducted by law students from the University of Hong Kong in collaboration with Earth Refuge’s Legal Education Department. Not many edits were made to maintain the authors’ tone of voice.
The gravity of the impact of climate change upon Tai O’s community speaks to the necessity for measures to be put in place to urgently safeguard the rights of those living there. In the aftermath of the 2008 typhoon, detailed research led to new policies being brought into force, designed to protect Tai O residents from future climate-induced harm. However, there is a scarcity of follow-up research in recent years, which provides little accountability to the affected population following the implementation of such policies.
The needs of Tai O residents, obtained through surveys and in-depth dialogues, were consolidated in Tai O under climate change: A preliminary study into the sophistication of emergency responses of Tai O residents, a report put together by the Carbon Care InnoLab, the Tai O Sustainable Development Education Workshop and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute, with the help of other NGOs such as the Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association (the “2016 report”). Focusing on accounts of the aftermath of Typhoon Hagupit, the detailed impacts of climate-change-induced typhoons are also documented in the 2016 report.
Building upon the perspectives brought to light by the 2016 report, this field research examines whether existing policies that are meant to protect Tai O residents are adequate. Before concluding, this report will also briefly provide suggestions of improvement. In order to conduct this research, authors of this report met with two NGOs, Tai O Sustainable Development Education Workshop (“Tai O Workshop”) and Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Tai O Community Work Office (“YWCA”). They also talked to two representatives of the Tai O Rural Committee, which is the only officially-recognised bridge between the government and the community: Ho Siu-Kei, Chairman of the said Committee and an Ex-officio Member of the Islands District Council; Wong Yung-kan, Representative of Fishermen in the same committee (“Rural Committee”). These interviews were all conducted in Tai O in November 2021.
