Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan: Striving for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Future by 2050

Opening speech by SEE at COP29 China Pavilion's Side Event

Following is the opening speech by the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, at the China Pavilion's Side Event: "Climate Action: From Climate Science to Opportunities to Develop New Energy" of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Azerbaijan, today (November 13, Azerbaijan time):

Dr Chao Qingchen (Director-General of National Climate Centre, China Meteorological Administration), Director Wang Yi (Vice-chair of China's National Expert Panel on Climate Change), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. With the support of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the presence of leaders, professionals and experts in climate science and new energy, I am very privileged to be here at the China Pavilion of COP29 in Baku, and see so many friends here. Professor Saulo, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) will join us later to share the work of WMO.

On fighting against climate change, I think we all know that China has pledged to achieve carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. For Hong Kong, to reduce carbon, we stopped the building of coal-fired power plants in 1997 and have been gradually shifting to natural gas and nuclear power. As a result Hong Kong reached carbon peak in 2014. Therefore we set an interim target to cut the emission by half before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.

Last year I told you that Hong Kong's per capita emission was about 4.5 tonnes in 2022. I am delighted to report that our emissions in 2023 was about 4.4 tonnes. Comparing to 2014, the reduction has been almost 30 per cent. As a reference, the 2023 United States’ carbon emission was 13.8 tonnes per capita. European Union in 2022 was 7.25 tonnes per capita. Therefore, Hong Kong is not doing very bad in this aspect.

To further reduce carbon, Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 has a four-pronged strategy. To achieve net-zero electricity generation, to promote green buildings and energy efficiency, to promote green transport and to find a better way to manage our waste.

You may wonder why waste is an issue relevant to carbon emissions. It is because in Hong Kong, we still use landfill for disposal of our waste. When the garbage is buried in landfills, they will decay and emit methane, which is a very strong greenhouse gas. Hence, Hong Kong needs to find a better way to manage our waste.

Under our strategy, there are 3 important targets. Today, coal still shares less than 20 per cent of the power generation in Hong Kong. Hence, the first is to stop using coal for power generation before 2035.The second target is to promote green transport, we will stop the registration of new fossil-fuel powered private cars before 2035, including hybrid. You may ask, how well Hong Kong is doing on that? In the first half of this year, out of 10 new private cars in Hong Kong, six or seven are electric. Therefore, I think the take-up rate is among the better in the world. The third target is to deal with methane from landfills. We are working to stop using landfills before 2035. For that purpose, the first waste-to-energy incinerator will come into operation next year and we will tender out in December to build the second waste-to-energy incinerator which will handle 6,000 tonnes of waste per day.

At the moment, about 25 per cent of the electricity in Hong Kong is nuclear power from the Mainland. To cut our carbon emissions by half before 2035, we need to further increase the share of net-zero carbon electricity supply, from the current 25 per cent to 60 to 70 per cent, by 2035. For that purpose, the current cross-border electricity transmission infrastructure is being enhanced and new infrastructure is under planning for completion also by 2035. 2035 is a magic and very important year for Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is also getting prepared for new energy solutions such as hydrogen. We have formulated the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong in June this year to capitalise on the environmental and economic opportunities from the global development of hydrogen energy. Our Commissioner for Climate Change, Mr Wong Chuen-fai, will introduce to you later about our vision and strategy on hydrogen development.

In the past 2 years, Hong Kong experienced two super typhoons, record breaking rainstorms, serious floodings, and this year we have the hottest ever Mid-Autumn festival in Hong Kong. It was 35.7 degree Celsius!

On adaptation, the Government has set up a working group led by the Civil Engineering and Development Department to look at our critical infrastructure, where they are, what they are as well as their design standards, and develop engineering standards and infrastructure plans to ensure that the infrastructure can stand for the extreme weather brought about by climate change. The vice president of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Ir Frank Chan, will share with us the innovation in developing climate-resilient infrastructure in Hong Kong.

My dear friends, whether or not the world can achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, I can assure you that the climate will continue to change for decades. It is just the beginning. Therefore we also need to get prepared to deal with disastrous situations. In Hong Kong, our Chief Secretary leads a working group supported by all bureaux and departments to, in case necessary, rescue people and to help the city recover quickly from damages.

Our Hong Kong Observatory working with the Drainage Services Department, has developed a model using big data and artificial intelligence, trying to predict flooding risks a few hours before they actually happen, so that we can mobilise manpower to get prepared. That model is being tested. The Assistant Director (Development, Research and Administration) of the Hong Kong Observatory, Ms Sandy Song, will share with you more information on building of climate resilience through climate and weather services in Hong Kong.

While Hong Kong is working hard to fight against climate risks, some people may ask about how Hong Kong can contribute to other parts of the world in combating climate change. Hong Kong is a regional hub, a gateway from China to other parts of the world.

Mainland China, our motherland, has many innovative products and many new technologies that can help greening the future, reducing carbon emissions, which can help building infrastructures and cities in a green, low carbon, and safe manner. Hong Kong can be a gateway for introducing these green technologies and products to other parts of the world.

Looking further, to achieve the carbon neutrality goal, all sectors of society will need money to invest in decarbonisation technologies, research and development, capacity building, infrastructure, etc.

Being an international financial centre, Hong Kong is rising as an international green finance centre. The total green and sustainable debt issued in Hong Kong exceeded US$50 billion in 2023. Among this, the volume of green and sustainable bonds arranged in Hong Kong topped the Asian market in 2023, accounting for 37 per cent of the total.

We have, under the Government Sustainable Bond Programme, successfully issued since May 2019 Government green bonds totalling US$25 billion (HK$195 billion) equivalent, including green bonds denominated in Renminbi, USD, and Euro, retail green bonds, as well as a tokenised green bond.

To facilitate green finance flows, the Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance was published in May this year to provide a classification system that allows investors to identify and invest in activities that are making a positive impact on the environment. It aligns with the mainstream taxonomies of the Mainland and the European Union, and will be expanded to cover more sectors and activities.

We are also an international carbon market connecting opportunities across the Mainland, Asia, and the rest of the world. Core Climate has been launched to offer HKD and RMB settlement for the trading of international voluntary carbon credits. Looking ahead, it will continue to promote synergy with its Mainland counterparts to build a dynamic regional marketplace.

Accurate information is essential to green and sustainable financial services. The Government and financial regulators therefore aim for Hong Kong to be among the first jurisdictions, to align the local sustainability disclosure requirements with the ISSB Standards. This will help showcasing to international investors and markets Hong Kong’s commitment to reinforcing our leading position on the international sustainable finance map.

Ladies and gentlemen, climate change affects every corner of the earth. It is a challenge to combat climate change, but the green transition brings also new opportunities to all sectors of the community. I look forward to embarking on this green transition journey with all of you here today as we strive for carbon neutrality and a sustainable future for the world. Thank you.

Ombudsman probes Government's monitoring and regulation of slope safety

The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (November 14) announced the launch of a direct investigation operation to examine the Government's monitoring and regulation of slope safety in detail.

The total land area of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region exceeds 1 100 square kilometres, of which over 60 per cent is covered by natural hillsides. In addition, there are about 61 000 man-made slopes, including some 38 500 government man-made slopes, 15 800 private man-made slopes and 6 300 slopes involving mixed responsibilities. Seasonal heavy rain and severe storms may lead to landslides from time to time, thereby posing threats to life and property. Over the past 30 years, there has been an annual average of about 300 landslides recorded in Hong Kong. While there has been a downward trend in the number of landslides in recent years, severe landslides triggered by extreme weather might still occur, creating serious incidents. In 2023 alone, the number of landslides exceeded 600, raising alarms in the community.

Currently, the monitoring and regulation of slope safety falls within the ambit of various government departments. The Lands Department (LandsD) is responsible for determining the maintenance responsibility of man-made slopes, categorised into government and private man-made slopes respectively, while some are slopes involving mixed responsibilities. Every year, the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) selects natural hillside catchments and government man-made slopes with relatively high potential impacts for upgrading or risk mitigation works according to a risk-based approach. The GEO also conducts safety screening studies for private man-made slopes and recommends to the Buildings Department (BD) the issuance of Dangerous Hillside Orders to the owners of slopes with potential dangers requiring them to carry out remedial or preventive works. Preliminary findings of the Office of The Ombudsman revealed that between 2014 and 2022, the GEO completed risk mitigation works for over 300 natural hillside catchments, upgraded over 1 400 government man-made slopes and conducted safety screening studies for more than 900 private man-made slopes. Different government departments (mainly the LandsD, the Highways Department (HyD), the Water Supplies Department (WSD) and the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) are responsible for the routine inspection and maintenance of man-made slopes under their purview.

Lack of maintenance on slopes is one of the major causes of landslides. Government information showed that both government and private man-made slopes were involved in past landslides, while more severe incidents mainly concerned natural hillside catchments. Preliminary findings of the Office also revealed that a considerable number of Dangerous Hillside Orders issued to private owners have remained long outstanding, with disputes over the maintenance responsibility being one of the common causes. In addition, the Office has received almost 20 complaints related to slope safety over the past five years, reflecting considerable public concerns about slope safety.

Mr Chan said, "With the Government's continuous efforts over the past few decades, overall slope safety in Hong Kong has been substantially uplifted compared with the 1970s. However, as extreme weather has become more frequent, coupled with gradual slope degradation, landslide risks still exist. To this end, I have decided to launch a direct investigation operation to seriously examine whether there is room for further enhancement of the Government's monitoring and regulation of slope safety, including the overall strategy on landslip prevention and mitigation, the routine repair and maintenance of government man-made slopes, the issuance and subsequent enforcement of Dangerous Hillside Orders, the determination of slope maintenance responsibility and dispute handling, post-landslide follow-up actions, as well as interdepartmental collaboration covering case referral, exchange of information and professional knowledge, with a view to making targeted recommendations to the Government for improvement where necessary."

The Office will probe the CEDD, the BD, the LandsD, the HyD, the WSD and the ArchSD in this direct investigation operation. The Ombudsman welcomes views from members of the public on this topic. Written submissions should reach the Office of The Ombudsman by December 13, 2024:

Address: 30/F, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre

168–200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong

Fax: 2882 8149

Email: complaints@ombudsman.hk

Ombudsman probes Government's monitoring and regulation of slope safety Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases