Hong Kong government promises lower carbon emissions ahead of Paris summit
Retirement of coal-fired generators set to yield dividends from 2017
The city will move closer to setting a cap on carbon emissions once it begins retiring old coal-fired power plants, environment officials say.
Undersecretary for the environment Christine Loh Kung-wai said the scheduled retirement of old coal-fired generating units - beginning in 2017 - would help Hong Kong curb emissions, which have been rising continuously over the last 15 years.
"[Hong Kong] is moving closer to capping emissions … as we continue to reduce our coal-fired plants from electricity generation," Loh said. "Our carbon emissions will continue to go down."
She was speaking after the launch of a new report outlining existing measures undertaken by the government and the private sector in response to climate change, ahead of the launch of the landmark global climate conference in Paris later this month.
China has pledged to cut carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65 per cent from 2005 levels and peak emissions by around 2030. Hong Kong has set a similar carbon intensity target for 2020, but has not committed to any date for imposing a ceiling on emissions.
Even the current measures to address climate change by 2020 can only reach the lower limits
The city's greenhouse gas emissions have been rising since 2000, amounting to some 43 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2012, according to the latest government data. Loh said the rise in the last few years was due to increased production of cement for more construction projects.
The Environment Bureau's new climate change report, which summarises measures taken by several government bureaus to adapt and mitigate against climate change threats, will be presented formally at the Paris conference.
It contains published information such as the government's energy saving targets and a new fuel mix for electricity generation after 2020. The government says it will use the national targets as reference to shape mitigation plans.
Environment Secretary Wong Kam-sing said as an international city and highly advanced economy, the city wished to "contribute actively to national and global efforts" against climate change.
But senior Greenpeace campaigner Frances Yeung Hoi-shan criticised the government for not developing an emissions reduction plan for 2030. "Even the current measures to address climate change by 2020 can only reach the lower limits of our emission reduction targets [of 19 to 33 per cent], " she said.
