Hong Kong residents see climate misinformation as serious threat

Nearly one in four respondents expressed belief in common climate misconceptions.

More than 75% of Hong Kong residents consider climate change misinformation a “very serious” to “extremely serious” threat, according to a new survey conducted by HKBU Fact Check, a unit under the School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).

The survey, which polled 1,600 local residents at the end of 2024, revealed deep concern about the impact of false information on public understanding of climate science.

Nearly one in four respondents expressed belief in common climate misconceptions. These included the notion that cold waves disprove climate change, that climate change is solely a natural phenomenon unrelated to human activity, and a sense of fatalism—believing that humanity has missed its chance to respond and should continue burning fossil fuels.

The study found that when respondents heard the term “global warming,” they associated it with concepts like the greenhouse effect, glacial melting, and sea-level rise.

However, these are not typically experienced firsthand in Hong Kong, indicating that public understanding is shaped more by secondhand information through media and social platforms than lived experience.

To address the spread of climate misinformation, HKBU Fact Check launched a public exhibition titled “Is Climate Change a Genuine Phenomenon?” running from 9 to 22 May 2025 at the university’s Lee Shau Kee Communication and Visual Arts Building.

The exhibition aims to deconstruct myths, identify typical narrative traps, and promote a fact-checking mindset.