Why energy-efficient buildings should lead Hong Kong’s quest to reduce carbon emissions
- Energy sector’s drive to use cleaner fuels will wane by 2030, and shift in policy and incentives is needed
- Overall energy efficiency in the city’s office and residential buildings has not improved since 2008
Hong Kong’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases should be centred on energy-efficient buildings as the power sector will play a smaller role in cutting emissions in about a decade.
The Business Environment Council, an association of industry players, said the city’s urban environment accounted for 60 per cent of total gas emissions, and any long-term decarbonisation plan would have to incorporate new policy changes and incentives to influence how energy is used in buildings.
“Up to 2030, we all know that the biggest contribution to emissions reductions will come from the power generation sector and switching to a cleaner fuel mix. This is undeniable,” said Simon Ng Ka-wing, the council’s director for policy and research.
“But after 2030, the room for the energy sector to drive further emissions reductions will start to diminish. Other sectors – buildings, transport and even waste management – will have to step up their efforts.”
Other sectors – buildings, transport and even waste management – will have to step up their efforts
The government is in the process of consulting the public and drawing up a long-term decarbonisation strategy till 2050, which would be an update of the 2030 climate plan on cleaner fuel for power generation.
According to government data, overall energy efficiency in the city’s office and residential buildings has not improved since 2008.
In a new report, the association proposed 20 policy recommendations to the government, such as the need to improve data transparency and benchmarking standards in buildings’ energy performance, as well as incentivising collaboration between landlords and tenants.
The suggestions were based on a comparative analysis of energy-efficiency policies in seven built-up cities of similar density – Singapore, Tokyo, New York, Sydney, Essen, Beijing and Shenzhen.
Tighter collaboration between landlords and tenants through adoption of “green leases” as exemplified in Sydney and New York, or mandating the open publication of energy performance data like Singapore, should be considered in Hong Kong, the council said.