On Friday in Paris, the International Panel on Climate Change, the foremost authority on global warming, will release its fourth assessment report - warning of the need for drastic action against rising sea levels, higher temperatures and changing weather patterns.
As a coastal city, Hong Kong is vulnerable to typhoons, rainstorms and high tides. But where is Asia's self-proclaimed 'world city' in the battle against climate change?
So far, it has been slow to take action. The government has introduced measures to save energy in the public sector and encouraged businesses to act voluntarily, but it has done little else to cut greenhouse gas emissions or pursue renewable energy options. And, so far, it lacks a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change.
Regional rival Singapore, on the other hand, has developed a comprehensive National Climate Change Strategy. It is studying the possibility of emissions trading and could soon be the first financial centre in Asia to earn revenue from climate-related businesses.
Hong Kong has no excuse for ignoring global warming. Although China is not obliged by the Kyoto Protocol to set emissions reduction targets yet, Hong Kong cannot continue to reap the benefits of the mainland's economic growth while shirking its responsibility as a global city.
The run-up to the chief executive election in March offers a good opportunity for the candidates to show their empathy for the world and present their visions on how to position Hong Kong as a key player in combating global warming. But Donald Tsang Yam-kuen and Alan Leong Kah-kit are obviously behind the curve and insensitive to the global risks. Despite the warnings of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and others that global climate change is the greatest threat the planet faces, neither the chief executive nor his challenger have had a word to say on the matter.
