Advertisement
Letters | Legco election: Hong Kong’s green future a priority for too few candidates
- Only 16 responded to a Friends of the Earth survey on where candidates stand on environmental topics, despite Hong Kong’s 2050 carbon neutrality pledge
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
How important is sustainable development to our future policymakers? The Legislative Council election is just a few days away, with 90 seats being contested by 153 candidates, but how green are they?
Over the past week, we surveyed the legislative candidates via email to try and find out where they stand on environmental topics from climate change to green finance. Only 16 bothered to respond and 10 did not even have an email address – we can see where priority lies for our candidates. Nevertheless, there were some findings.
The Hong Kong government has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050, so it is promising to see wide support from responding candidates on clean energy and other climate policies.
03:35
‘Only patriots’: Hong Kong set for first Legco polls since Beijing’s overhaul of electoral system
‘Only patriots’: Hong Kong set for first Legco polls since Beijing’s overhaul of electoral system
A less enthusiastic stance was taken on carbon pricing though, with around 30 per cent expressing a neutral view towards the policy.
Advertisement
On the surface, carbon pricing may seem like another tax, but it is intended to capture the externalities of carbon-emitting activities and shift the burden to those responsible, under a “polluter pays” principle. Also, tax credits and other revenue recycling mechanisms can help to ease the burden on poor households.
Carbon pricing has been implemented across 45 countries and 34 subnational jurisdictions today, representing 21.5 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. Among them is China, which launched its national emissions trading scheme in July for power sectors, with plans to cover other carbon-intensive industries – like petrochemicals, building materials and aviation – in the future.
Advertisement
Transport was another area where we saw more divisive views from candidates, particularly on vehicle quotas to tackle rising car numbers, which are contributing to clogged roads, slow traffic and unhealthy levels of roadside air pollution that consistently exceed the government’s air quality objectives.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x