Delegation to COP28 in Dubai will discuss how Hong Kong can help save the planet: climate change commissioner
- ‘An excellent opportunity,’ says climate change chief Wong Chuen-fai, describing city’s return to annual UN summit after years-long break
- Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan will lead delegation to COP28, taking place from November 30 until December 12
Authorities will discuss how Hong Kong can help tackle the global environmental crisis at this year’s UN climate change summit, a city official has said.
Commissioner for Climate Change Wong Chuen-fai on Monday said the city’s participation in the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) after years of absence would bring innovations and new concepts to better deal with environmental problems.
“This will be an excellent opportunity for Hong Kong to talk about how the city is tackling climate change, such as green finance,” Wong said after a conference on sustainability organised by the Chinachem Group.
“Our participation has two purposes. The first is to understand the latest developments during the COP discussions. The second is to talk about Hong Kong’s contribution, including measures and efforts made to tackle climate change.”
The conference, to be held in Dubai from November 30 until December 12, was designed to assess progress in global efforts to combat climate change. Before the summit’s opening, the United Nations is expected to publish its two-year evaluation of efforts to turn the tide on climate change. The review was launched at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland in 2021.
All signatory countries, including China, will have to detail their efforts to cut carbon emissions at this year’s conference. The Paris Agreement, an international climate change treaty which Beijing signed in 2015, also applies to Hong Kong.