Hong Kong 2050 decarbonisation plan to heed UN call for action, but environmentalists say only ‘radical and systemic change’ will do
Long-term carbon cuts strategy for the city to be ready by the end of 2019 or early 2020, officials say
A new, long-term Hong Kong decarbonisation strategy for up to 2050 will incorporate the latest findings from United Nations climate scientists, city environment officials have said.
A special report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Sunday night said “rapid and far-reaching” changes were needed to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times.
Measures would have to include reducing man-made carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 from 2010 levels, and reaching “net zero” emissions by 2050, the report said.
Hong Kong’s climate action plan, published last year, only pledges a 26 to 36 per cent cut by 2030 from 2005 levels.
“As part of our country, as well as a responsible member of the global community, there is a need for Hong Kong to draw up our own long-term decarbonisation strategy,” an Environment Bureau spokesman told the Post.
