From the Editor

Hong Kong has worked its way through another hot summer.

According to world-renowned climate scientist Professor Gabriel Lau, heat waves will triple in frequency and soon take up half of the Chinese summer. With India also posting its highest temperature on record, at 51°C, we realize how large the climate-change challenge is.

In this fourth installment of Oceans and Sky, we interview Mr Leung Wing-mo, the former assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory, who tells us how our attitudes and scientific reaction are responding to climate change. Of course, scientists are trying to combat the issue—as demonstrated by CUHK scholar Professor Steve Yim’s research on ozone pollution and the potential solutions it offers.

We explore the rapidly-changing living conditions of the Inuit—once derogatively known as eskimos or “raw-meat eaters” by Native Americans, and discuss how thinning ice is presenting fresh life challenges that involve changing diets and greater problems with mosquito-borne illnesses. Please enjoy reading this intriguing glimpse into the life of the Inuit.