In global fight to slow climate change, Hong Kong is proving to be a laggard
Wendell Chan says that, set against the efforts of other cities to reduce carbon emissions and promote renewable energy, ahead of the UN climate change conference in Paris, Hong Kong is barely doing enough
This week, delegates representing countries from all over the world will convene in Paris to decide whether we will head towards a low-carbon future. The goal is to reach a legally binding pact to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius.
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Countries in a position to do so have submitted their emission reduction targets to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. As of writing, it had received 128 submissions representing 155 countries.
Hong Kong is a services-based economy. To use intensity as an indicator intended for industrial-based economies is inappropriate for a place that prides itself as ‘Asia’s world city’
Unfortunately, these pledges are far from sufficient to achieve the 2-degree target, according to the Climate Action Tracker, an independent science-based assessment of policies and actions.
