Hong Kong has set an “aggressive” carbon emission reduction target of 50 percent to 60 percent by 2020, Secretary for Environment Wong Kam-sing claimed after attending the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.
“I understand that this week’s Climate Change Conference is a crucial moment, and of course Hong Kong is concerned about this issue [of climate change]. I also hope that there would be a positive outcome at the conference,” Wong told the media after returning from COP21 in Paris on Thursday morning.
“We discussed the work Hong Kong has done to tackle climate change at the China Pavilion, and I presented the Hong Kong Climate Change Report 2015… Hong Kong’s current emission reduction targets are actually aggressive, with an aim to reduce carbon emissions by 50 to 60 percent by 2020.”
At the COP21 Summit, Wong has also said that Hong Kong is aiming to become a low-carbon liveable city, and that there is a new target to reduce the city’s energy intensity by 40 percent by 2025.
‘Nothing new’
On Wednesday, Wong was criticised by an NGO delegate from Hong Kong for focusing merely on the city’s past actions rather than speaking about future plans.
“All the leaders were talking about future pledges. But nothing of that sort came out of Wong,” CEO of CarbonCare Asia Albert Lai told RTHK.
Wong refused to comment on whether the Environment Bureau will ask the two major power companies to reduce the electricity fees, saying that it will be announced in due course. Earlier, it was reported that CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP) and The Hong Kong Electric Company Limited have overcharged for electricity and fuel costs to the tune of nearly HK$5.7 billion.
