Letters | High time Hong Kong took the lead in response to climate crisis: the future demands it

I write to you to applaud the efforts of Legislative Council member Eddie Chu Hoi-dick who recently asked the government some very pertinent and timely questions on the unfolding climate emergency. In response, environment minister Wong Kam-sing referred to the Hong Kong government’s well-publicised actions to target climate change, but failed to directly answer the specific questions raised by Mr Chu relating to the demands of the Extinction Rebellion movement. In a way, it mirrored the response to the letter from the students who are leading the #FridaysForFuture movement in Hong Kong.

Extinction Rebellion has been very successful in its non-violent direct action, resulting in Britain’s parliament agreeing to recognise the ongoing climate crisis as an emergency. It appears the Hong Kong government has refused to take a stand on this important starting point in the critical fight against certain catastrophe if humanity persists with business as usual.

In response to Extinction Rebellion’s second demand that greenhouse gas emissions be cut to net zero by 2025, the Hong Kong government is unmoved. The same goes for the third demand to have a convention of citizens’ assemblies set environmental policies.

The 2030 climate action plan being implemented by the Hong Kong government was designed in line with nationally mandated goals, in compliance with the Paris climate agreement. It has some serious flaws in the way it accounts for per capita emissions. It is also singularly unambitious in terms of its targets for moving to renewable energy and cleaner transport. The changeover from coal-fired to natural-gas-based electricity may look impressive, but it is not. Even more astounding is a lack of commitment to electric vehicles, even in the face of the ambitious plans of neighbouring Shenzhen to convert its entire fleet of public vehicles.