Hong Kong has not been aggressive enough in combating the climate crisis in recent years and should not just “lie flat,” a local green group said in its latest report, released ahead of a global climate change summit. The term, originating in mainland China, suggests doing as little as possible to get by.
The Paris Watch Project, which is run by non-government organisation CarbonCare InnoLab, released its annual Hong Kong Climate Action Report which said “little or no progress has been made towards carbon neutrality” in Hong Kong. The city was given an overall “C-” grade report card, for the second year in a row.
The report was published ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP27, which will be held in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh from November 6-18.
Carbon neutrality
Paris Watch keeps track of Hong Kong’s efforts to adhere to the international climate change treaty known as the Paris Agreement in terms of cutting carbon emissions and building a sustainable future.
The group evaluated the city’s performance through more than a dozen indicators, such as the pace of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the transition to renewable energy, the development of low-emission transport, the effectiveness of governance and the use of technology.
The report noted that Hong Kong recorded an encouraging drop in per capita carbon emissions, from 5.3 tons in 2019 to 4.5 tons in 2020. However, the group estimated a rebound in 2021, as economic activities began to resume in the post-Covid-19 period. The estimate was supported by an increase in electricity sales by the two power companies in Hong Kong and a rebound in their greenhouse gas emissions in 2020/2021.
The predicted rebound was not unique to Hong Kong, the group said, as other parts of the world experienced a similar resumption of activities after the pandemic. But the Hong Kong authorities should have set more aggressive targets to achieve carbon neutrality.
In 2021, Hong Kong pledged to cut total carbon emissions by 26 to 36 per cent from the 2005 level by 2030 and to become carbon-neutral by 2050. The Paris Watch Project said Hong Kong lagged behind some of its East Asian counterparts.
The report compared Hong Kong with five other cities: Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo and Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the mainland. Seoul had pledged to reduce emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, while Tokyo promised 50 per cent.
‘D-‘ governance
The “judging panel” of the report card, which was comprised of academics and experts in climate change studies, concluded that Hong Kong did worst in establishing an effective governance, with the grade being “D-,” the lowest among 14 other indicators.
“Since the new Chief Executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, became the nominal chair of the Steering Committee on Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality, senior leadership on climate change has been invisible,” said Ringo Mak, the group’s adviser and one of the judges of the report card.
Mak said Hong Kong was promised a Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality Office and an Advisory Committee under the Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2050 introduced by former chief executive Carrie Lam. But those proposals had not yet come to fruition and no officials had been appointed to head those offices.
Urgent actions needed
The organisation acknowledged that Hong Kong was taking action but said current actual or planned measures were not ambitious enough in a world where the impact of climate change was becoming more apparent – such as record high temperatures in Hong Kong and flash floods in other countries.
“If Hong Kong is simply complacent with its current climate change response, it may not reach its carbon neutrality target,” the group said.
The government was urged to align its 2030 and 2035 targets with the recommendations made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. By 2030, Hong Kong needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent compared to 2005, the group said.
“Climate injustice” had become more prevalent as the climate crisis worsened, said CarbonCare InnoLab founder Chong Chan-yau. The concept refers to people who contribute the least to climate change but bear the brunt of its consequences.
Hong Kong, as a developed metropolis, should do more to address the injustice and alleviate the crisis, Chong said.
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