Opinion | How Hong Kong can reduce its carbon emissions by 90 per cent
- A new report shows that a carbon neutral city is within reach by decarbonising the power sector, improving building efficiency and enhancing mobility
- While many Hong Kong people may feel tackling climate change is something for our future and not urgent, they couldn’t be more wrong – we must act now
In spite of the difficulties and uncertainties brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is good news in what Hong Kong has achieved towards its 2030 climate emissions reduction targets as well as how manageable it will be to decarbonise the city in the following years.
That means, if the Hong Kong government steps up with new policies in these sectors and we find ways of offsetting the remaining 10 per cent of emissions, we can build a carbon-neutral future that is greener and more liveable, with minimal pollution, readily available public transport, healthier lifestyles and more. We can build the Hong Kong we want, but to do this we must all play a role in achieving a greener city.
This takes vision and resolve, but we are not a manufacturing centre and our power sector is already moving away from coal. Near net-zero carbon emissions is achievable for Hong Kong, which additionally could assume a leadership role in innovation and action for climate.
Governments have backed the Paris Agreement target of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
