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Opinion | How the EU can help Hong Kong decouple growth from carbon emissions
- Since 1990, the EU economy has grown by over 60 per cent while net greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by a quarter
- The bloc is now walking the talk on fighting climate change with the European Green Deal. It can share this experience with Hong Kong
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Climate change knows no borders. Neither do the extreme weather patterns that come with it. For the first time, Hong Kong issued the No 8 storm warning signal twice within four days this month.
Over the summer, we have seen several climate disasters, putting the survival of many species at risk. Climate change may soon render certain parts of the Earth uninhabitable to humans. These events should serve as a reminder that immediate action is needed.
In Paris, in 2015, the international community finally agreed to embark on an ambitious journey – to limit global warming to between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees Celsius. While such levels of warming might seem manageable, the difference could be existential. For the human body, the difference between 40 degrees and 42 degrees is the difference between life and death.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change just released a disheartening report. Under current climate commitments, global temperatures would rise by an unacceptable 2.7 degrees by 2100 – a gloomy outlook to say the least.
As we approach COP26 in Glasgow this weekend, each state must increase its ambition to cut global emissions. After the negotiation, the time for climate action is here.
The news is not all grim – science also tells us that a zero-carbon society is possible, a society of new green jobs and growth that can limit warming to 1.5 degrees. The European Union has already shown that it is feasible to decouple growth from carbon dioxide emissions. Since 1990, our gross domestic product has grown by over 60 per cent while net greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by a quarter.
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