Hong Kong budget: city bets big on electric vehicles and green finance, but concern groups say more needed to hit 2050 carbon neutrality goal
- Finance Secretary Paul Chan on Wednesday revealed that a road map to ending use of fossil fuel-powered cars is set to be released next month
- But local green groups fear follow-up will be in short supply, and note real issue is how the city generates its electricity to begin with
But local green groups said the budget missed the mark when it came to funding for renewable energy that would help Hong Kong transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy, raising questions over whether the city would be able to hit its stated goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
In his budget address on Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po highlighted the city’s efforts to replace existing fossil fuel-powered cars with those that run on electricity and said the Environment Bureau was expected to unveil a road map for making that a reality by next month.
“The key measures include ceasing the new registration of fuel-propelled PCs [personal cars] in 2035 or earlier, expanding the EV [electric vehicle] charging network and promoting its marketisation, training of EV technical and maintenance practitioners, and formulating a Producer Responsibility Scheme for retired EV batteries,” he said.
The transport sector contributes up to 20 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions, and the city’s environmental authorities have long sought to boost the uptake of electric vehicles among both private car owners and public transport.