Hong Kong weatherman turned rap star, 74, brings the heat with track targeting fast fashion

Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)

Lam Chiu-ying is a veteran Hong Kong weatherman. He has long been raising awareness in the city about climate change and telling people to limit their use of air conditioners.

Now, at 74, he has gained new attention as a rapper. He uses Cantonese hip-hop music to discuss environmental protection and overconsumption.

The former director of the Observatory teamed up with singer-songwriter Luna Lee Chui-ting, who is 29 and goes by the name “Luna Is A Bep”. They created a snappy song titled “Buy Less Buy Better”.

For their music video, which premiered on YouTube on June 5, Lam shed his standard white shirt and grey trousers to don sunglasses and a retro-style shirt and jacket.

The song has a serious message about fast fashion

and wasteful spending on cheap, trendy and mass-produced clothes.

Lam and Lee chose the theme to highlight that fashion is the third most polluting industry in the world. Its carbon emissions account for 8 per cent of the global total.

“It is a significant contribution to the deteriorating climate, and it is fast growing,” Lam said.

Lee hoped the song would remind people to shop wisely and support local businesses instead of blindly following fashion trends.

Quiz time

1. What is Lam Chiu-ying known for?

2. How is Lam spreading awareness about sustainability?

3. What is Lam and Lee’s song called, and what is it about?

4. Why is fast fashion harmful to the planet?

5. How can people avoid fast fashion?

Lam Chiu-ying’s song to spread awareness about climate change is called “Buy Less Buy Better”. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Suggested answers

1. Lam is known for raising awareness about climate change and telling people to stop using air conditioners.

2. He is using Cantonese hip-hop music to spread the word about environmental protection and overconsumption.

3. The song is called “Buy Less Buy Better” and it has a serious message about fast fashion and wasteful overspending on cheap, trendy and mass-produced clothes.

4. Fashion is the world’s third-most polluting industry, with carbon emissions accounting for 8 per cent of the global total.

5. They can shop wisely and support local businesses instead of blindly following fashion trends.