Hong Kong’s financial chief promises to release carbon neutrality strategy by midyear
- Financial Secretary Paul Chan says city will tap into the opportunities presented by the ‘green wave’
- The ambitious target was announced in Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s policy address in November, and followed a similar one from Beijing
A long-term strategic plan to achieve carbon neutrality in Hong Kong by 2050 would be unveiled by the middle of this year, the city’s finance chief said on Sunday, as he vowed to tap into the opportunities brought on by the “green wave”.
Last year, the Council for Sustainable Development, which advises the government on environmental matters, formulated 55 recommendations covering sectors such as energy generation, transport and urban design after drawing on more than 71,000 responses to a public engagement exercise.
Among the recommendations were incentives and penalties to encourage developers to build more sustainable buildings, and a transition towards low-carbon transport systems.
“The extreme weather witnessed all over the world has not only affected the lives and safety of residents of different places, but also the operations of businesses,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his weekly blog post.
“The Hong Kong government is currently considering the suggestions put forth by the Council for Sustainable Development last year on how to slash carbon emissions in the long run. We will announce our long-term strategic plan in achieving the goal of [carbon neutrality by 2050] in the middle of the year.”
