International NGO Greenpeace has criticised the 2026 Hong Kong budget for lacking “people-centred climate initiatives,” as the city battles extreme weather. Meanwhile, the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) has urged more support for low-income families.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Greenpeace said the budget provided “zero support” for climate-vulnerable groups, such as residents living in subdivided flats, outdoor workers and the homeless.

“Greenpeace is very disappointed that comprehensive, people-centred climate adaptation strategies and measures were not included in the government’s public fiscal planning,” the environmental protection NGO said in a Chinese-language statement.

Last Monday, Hong Kong recorded its hottest Lunar New Year’s Eve since records began in 1884, with the mercury reaching 27.9 degrees Celsius. In 2025, the city recorded 53 very hot days and 54 hot nights, the third-highest on record.

Greenpeace said that, while the budget of specific departments covered the development of infrastructure to tackle climate change – such as enhancing flood warning systems – the government did not introduce measures to support citizens affected by the climate crisis.

Separately, Friends of the Earth, a local environmental protection NGO, urged the government to allocate more resources to brace Hong Kong against climate change in a statement issued on Wednesday following the budget.

The authorities should establish climate shelters and cooling infrastructure in high-risk areas, and develop mandatory heat-adaptation plans for public housing estates and schools, Friends of the Earth said.

More for grassroots, less for civil servants

SoCO, a local NGO advocating for poverty relief, said in a statement on Wednesday that the government should allocate more resources to support disadvantaged groups as Hong Kong estimated a budget surplus of HK$2.9 billion after three consecutive years in the red.

It urged the government to reinstate the HK$2,500 student subsidy, particularly for students in low-income families.

During last February’s budget, finance chief Paul Chan announced that authorities would axe the non-means-tested student grant provided to all students enrolled in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. Lawmakers criticised the move, as it affected nearly 800,000 students.

SoCO said that, as the government seeks to develop the use of artificial intelligence, it should cut the number of civil service roles by five per cent in the coming three years. The civil service pay freeze should also remain in place, they said.

Chan announced on Wednesday that Hong Kong will resume its annual pay trend survey, paving the way for a rise in civil servants’ salaries following wage freeze.