Published June 2007

Prepared by:Hong Kong Observatory134A Nathan RoadKowloon, Hong Kong

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe content of this publication was adapted fromthe World Meteorological Organization publication"We care for our climate : WMO-No. 975". TheHong Kong Observatory wishes to thank the WorldMeteorological Organization for its kind permissionto use the material in its publication.

Personality

Ying KitA young man who cares a lotabout climate change

Pui YeeA lady keen in environmentissues

Wai MingAn elderly gentleman livingin the village

IN AN ASSEMBLY HALL...

THESITUATION

ISSERIOUS !!

TIME IS RUNNINGOUT! WE NEED TO ACT

TO SAVE OURCLIMATE!

BUT WHY?WHAT HAS HAPPENED

TO OUR CLIMATE? HOWCAN WE SAVE IT AND

FROM WHOM ?

YING KIT EXPLAINS...

THE ANIMALFEDERATION (ANIFED) HAS

PASSED A RESOLUTION

THAT WE MUST STOP BURNING

WOOD ...

...AND DESTROYING OURFORESTS, AND WE MUST

CHANGE OUR LIFE STYLE __

YOU HAVE ALL NOTICED HOWOUR SKY IS ALWAYS PINKISH

AND HAZY...

...BUT LET ME TELL YOU HOW IT ALL STARTED. ASYOU KNOW, ANIFED GROUPS ORGANIZATIONS OF

ALL LIVING CREATURES, LIKE THE LEAGUE OF BEARS...

THE LEAGUE OFFISH...

...THE LEAGUE OFBIRDS...

...AND OTHERS, ALL THE CREATURES HAVE COMPLAINED TOANIFED ABOUT THEIR WORSENING ENVIRONMENTS DUETO CLIMATE CHANGE AND A RESOLUTION HAS BEENPASSED, CALLING FOR ACTION ! !

A N I F E D

ANIFED

CONSIDERING--

------------

NOTING----

-----------

RECOMMEN

-----------

URGES ALL

-------

YING KIT GIVES EXAMPLES...

ONE WINTER

HEY, BROTHER! WHATIS THE DATE?

OH! DON'T UNDERSTAND,IT'S STILL EARLY IN THE

SEASON ! BUT LET'S GO __THERE'S A MEETING...

DEAR FELLOW BEARS: I REGRET TOINFORM YOU THAT, DUE TO HIGHER

TEMPERATURES THIS YEAR, OURHABITAT IS MELTING AWAY!

ALL THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSETOO MANY GREENHOUSE GASESARE BEING INJECTED INTO THEAIR __ LOOK AT THE PINK SKY,THE BURNING RAIN THAT KILLS

OUR FISH AND FORESTS.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO PRESERVEOUR CULTURE AND REAR THESE

TEDDIES WITHOUT ICE!

IT'S THOSEINDUSTRIES FAR

AWAY!!

PLOUF!PLOUF!

CHIEF! LAST SUMMER IWAS SHOCKED BY THEEXHAUST OF PASSING

VANS.

CHIEF ! WE'VE HADENOUGH!

ALL BEARSSTRONGLY CALLFOR ACTION TORESTORE THEIR

HABITAT.

YES! LET ME HAVE YOURAPPROVAL FOR THAT!

ANOTHER ONEHAS LEFT US...

IN THE KINGDOM OF THE LIONS...

VROOOM ! !

THE POST LIONARRIVES

MY CHIEF INFORMS YOUOF SOME NEW

DISEASES THAT ARERUINING OUR HEALTH.

SEE FOR YOURSELFMESSENGER... THESAME FATE HASBEFALLEN US...

WHAT'STHAT?

DRING

DRING

SOUNDS LIKEA CELLPHONE

RINGING?

OH, YES ! ! !IT'S MINE...

HELLO?

YES...YES...OH,I'M SORRY TOHEAR THAT! !

THE LION KING EXPLAINS ...

MY DEAR FELLOW, SOMEBAD NEWS HAS JUST

ARRIVED...

OTHER KINGDOMSREPORT AN INCREASE

OF KILLER FLIES __

EVEN DURINGWINTER...

I NEED YOURAPPROVAL FOR THIS

RESOLUTION !

LIONS OF ALL LANDSSTRONGLY URGE ANIFED TO

PROTECT OUR HABITAT! !

MEANWHILE

IT'S BECOMINGWARMER

AROUND HERE!

YES, IT'S HARDTO SURVIVE !!

SEE !!!THE CORALSARE LOSING

THEIR COLOURS!!!

YES __ ANDI'VE LOSTWEIGHT! ! ! !

I'M SUFFOCATING!THERE'S LESS AND

LESS OXYGEN !

DEAR FRIENDS, BAD NEWS... THE SEASARE WARMER THIS SEASON, CORALS

HAVE BLEACHED, PLANKTON IS RARE, THEOCEANS SEEM TO HAVE MORE CARBON

DIOXIDE GAS THAN BEFORE...

LET'S GO TO A MORECOMFORTABLE PLACE

WHILE WE STILL CAN ! !

MANY SEAS FARTHER AWAY...

I NEED YOURAPPROVAL FOR THIS! FISH OF ALL

OCEANS URGEANIFED TOCLEAN THE

SEAS AND COOLTHE WATER, SOTHAT WE CANLIVE IN

COMFORT!

APPROVED!

IN THE BIRD KINGDOM...

CHIIRPY, CHIIRPY! !IT'S TOO WARM

THIS YEAR!

CHIP, CHIP! OH! LOOKAT THE DYING TREES.MY NEST IS IN THEOPEN. I MUST BUILD

ANOTHER ONE...

CHIRPY, CHIRPY!WORMS ARE FEW

AND DEEPUNDERGROUND...

IT'S TOO HOTFOR THEM!

CHIIIRIIP!CHIIIRIIP! ! !

(HELP!)

OUR QUEEN HASCALLED FOR A

MEETING...

YES, I'M AS ANXIOUS ASYOU. I'VE RECEIVED

SIMILAR DISTURBINGNEWS!

WE DON'T WANT TO DISAPPEARLIKE THE DODO. OUR MONKEY

FRIENDS ARE ALSO SUFFERING,WE'RE SENDING A PETITION TOANIFED, CALLING FOR STEPS TO

RESTORE OUR FOREST.

FAR AWAY

HELLO FATTY, HAVEYOU NOTICED __THE GRASS IS NOLONGER TASTY?

NO, MORE'S THEPITY __ AND THE

FARMER IS HOLDINGTHE WATER BACK!!

THE AIR IS HEAVY,SOME PART OF THE

FOREST ISALWAYS ON FIRE!

I CAN'T PRODUCEMILK BECAUSE

OF THE STRESS.

MEUUUUUHHI'M SWEATING!!!

DO YOU KNOW WEARE BLAMED FOREMITTING A GASCALLED METHANE

WHICH IS WARMINGTHE CLIMATE UP?

SNIFF ! !SNIFF!

WHAAAAT? MEUTHAANE?HOW CAN IT BE? WE'RELIVING THE WAY WE'VE

ALWAYS LIVED!

LET'S SEE THE CHIEF!

DEAR FRIENDS, WE HAVEMANY COMPLAINTS __ OUR

COWS ARE FALLING SICKBECAUSE THEY CAN'T MAKE

MILK...

SO LISTENTO ME !!

WE CALL FOR THEPROTECTION OF OUR FOREST

AND THE GREEN GRASS ! !

IN THE DESERT

WE HAVEN'T HAD A DROPOF WATER TO DRINK FOR

A LONG TIME! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!ALL THE WELLS ON

THE WAY HERE WEREDRY! !

AND DID YOU SEETHE CARCASSES IN

THE SAND?

THE MASTERS SAY THISSUMMER IS THE WORST

EVER. THERE HASN'T BEENANY RAIN FOR MANY

YEARS NOW !

BACK IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL...

YOU KNOW, IT'S HARDTO BELIEVE THAT WE

CAN CHANGE THEEARTH'S CLIMATE __

BUT WE ARE!

THE GREENHOUSEGASES AROUNDTHE EARTH ARE

DENSER AND MAYBE HAVING

HARMFUL EFFECTS...

WHAT ISTHIS

GREENHOUSEEFFECT?

THE GREENHOUSE GASESFROM OUR INDUSTRIESARE BECOMING DENSER...

SUN

YOU SEE, THIS LAYER OFGREENHOUSE GASES LETS THE

SUN'S RAYS REACH THE EARTH'SSURFACE BUT DOESN'T ALLOWEXCESS HEAT PRODUCED BY US

TO ESCAPE INTO SPACE.

WHAT ARETHESE

GASES?

AMONG THE COMMON ONESARE CARBON DIOXIDE, THE

NITROUS GASES,METHANE...

CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE, NITROUS OXIDE,HYDROFLUOROCARBONS,SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE

MY FATHER PLANTS HISTOMATOES IN A

GREENHOUSE. HE SAYS IT'SGOOD FOR THE CROP YIELD.

THAT'S TRUE TO A CERTAINEXTENT BUT, IF THE TEMPERATURE

INSIDE YOUR FATHER'SGREENHOUSE BECOMES TOO HIGH,HIS PLANTS WILL DIE UNLESS HE

SUPPLIES FRESH AIR!

THE WORLD METEOROLOGICALORGANIZATION (WMO) HAS BEEN

COLLECTING INFORMATION FOR MORE THAN50 YEARS NOW...

...AND SCIENTISTS HAVECONCLUDED THAT WE'RE

HARMING THE CLIMATE __WE MUST CHANGE OUR

HABITS!!!

OUR CROPS CAN NO LONGERSTAND THE RISING

TEMPERATURES, AND THEWARMER SEAS ARE BAD FOR

MARINE LIFE...

OH !! BUT ISN'T IT NICETO SWIM IN THE WARM

SEA! ! !?

WMO

THIS HAD BETTER NOTHAPPEN __ THE EFFECTS

ARE TOO BAD TOIMAGINE! !

YOU SEE __ SINCE THE SEACOVERS 75% OF THEEARTH'S SURFACE, A

WARMER SEA WILL EXPANDAND SPILL OVER THE LAND!

GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSINGDESERTS TO SPREAD. MILLIONS

WILL HAVE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMESIF THIS CONTINUES...

DESERT

LAND

OCEAN

...AND THIS WILL INCREASE HARDSHIP FURTHER ! ! !

NOW I UNDERSTAND!! SOMUCH HAS CHANGED

AROUND HERE,THE SKY USED

TO BE...

CLEAR BLUEDURING THE DAY

AND FULL OFSTARS

AT NIGHT.

I USED TO BRING BACKENOUGH FISH FOR THE

WHOLE FAMILY. NOWADAYS,FISH ARE SCARCE...

YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELVES THATTHINGS HAVE CHANGED. IF WE DON'T

ACT, THE SITUATION WILL GETWORSE! WE MAY BE PLAGUED

BY DISEASES ! ! !

HARMFUL RAYS FROM THE SUNWILL REACH US IN GREATER

AMOUNTS AND BURN OUR SKINAND AFFECT OUR EYES! !

GLOBAL WARMING MAY CAUSEMORE FREQUENT HEAT WAVESWHICH ARE BAD FOR BOTH OUR

OLD FOLKS AND CHILDREN !

WITH WARMER SEAS,STORMS ARE LIKELY TO BE

FIERCER AND MOREDIFFICULT TO PREDICT!

SOCRITICAL!

ANY WAYOUT?

WHO CANHELP?

WHATSHOULDWE DO?

WE CAN DOSEVERALTHINGS!

PLANTTREES!!

LET'S WALK OR USE OURBIKES __ IT SAVES FUEL ANDIS GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH !

TREES ABSORB CARBONDIOXIDE, THEY KEEP THE AIRCLEAN AND PROVIDE RELIEF

FROM THE SUN.

AND WE WON'T ALLOWOUR LIVESTOCK TO EAT

THE YOUNG TREES!

USE MANUAL GRASSMOWERS!

LET'S SORT OUT OURTRASH FOR RECYCLING...

...USE RENEWABLE ENERGY!

PUI YEE, WAI MING AND SHANSHAN : WILL YOU COME WITH

ME AND SPREAD THEMESSAGE ?! !

LET'S TAKE CARE OF OUR TREES

AND RIVERS...

TALK TO YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS ABOUTTHE ENVIRONMENT AND GLOBAL WARMING...

IN MEETINGS

LET'S KEEP OUR AIR,WATER AND

ENVIRONMENT CLEAN...

IN SCHOOLS

THE WORLD IS YOURS __

TAKE CARE OF IT NOW !!!

Published by the Hong Kong Observatory

Story adapted from the World Meteorological Organization

publication "We care for our climate : WMO-No. 975"

Production by Cheer Shine Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Drawings by po@topzone