Source:
https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3029763/hong-kong-environmental-activists-join-global
Hong Kong/ Health & Environment

Hong Kong environmental activists join global ‘climate strike’ to get green issues back on city’s political agenda

  • About 100 activists skip work and march to Sheung Wan to demand action from government on climate change
  • They wave signs, hand out fliers and chant slogans, including ‘no coal, no oil, keep the carbon in the soil’
Activists at the “climate strike” in Central on Friday. The global movement was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Nearly 100 Hongkongers joined a global green campaign on Friday, skipping work in a so-called climate strike and gathering in the city’s central business district to demand action to save the environment.

The demonstrators – from the local groups Extinction Rebellion, Waste Free Hong Kong and 350HK – gathered at Central pier 9 at noon and spent the next two hours marching to Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan.

They waved signs with climate change messages, handed out fliers at the central harbourfront and chanted slogans, including “no coal, no oil, keep the carbon in the soil”.

This event was held despite student climate campaigners abandoning a planned march on Friday citing safety concerns from the ongoing anti-government protests that have gripped the city since June.

It doesn’t matter whether you are pro-Beijing or pro-democracy, climate change is coming. James Marlow, founder of Waste Free Hong Kong

The demonstrators had launched a social media campaign, many painting the words “#morethan1%” on their forearms and sharing photos online. The green activists demand the Hong Kong government increase its use of renewable energy, which currently contributes just 1 per cent to the city’s power supply.

From New York to Sydney and London to Tokyo, millions of schoolchildren and adults in more than 150 countries took part in the global climate strike on Friday. Many joined mass sit-ins and marches to mark the beginning of a week-long campaign.

The event was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl who made global headlines by calling a school climate strike movement known as Fridays for Future. She expressed hope that the class boycott would force governments to act urgently on environmental issues.

The student-led Climate Action Hong Kong held two strikes in conjunction with the global movement in March and May, with children as young as six taking part.

Activists at the “climate strike” in Central on Friday. The global movement was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Activists at the “climate strike” in Central on Friday. The global movement was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

James Marlow, a 27-year-old British national, founded Waste Free Hong Kong in 2017. He said the climate strike could give the issue more prominence on the city’s political agenda.

“Climate change has been swept under the rug by the recent protests and social unrest in Hong Kong. We hope our action today can bring it back to the table,” Marlow said. “Climate change does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter whether you are pro-Beijing or pro-democracy, climate change is coming.”

The strike coincides with the end of a three-month public engagement exercise launched by the Environment Bureau’s Council for Sustainable Development. The public engagement will be used to draft the city’s climate action strategy for 2050 in a bid to fulfil the city’s legal obligations under the Paris climate agreement.

The Hong Kong chapter of Extinction Rebellion, a co-organiser of Friday’s strike, submitted its proposal to the authorities last week.

Members of Hong Kong-based Extinction Rebellion join a rally organised with Waste Free Hong Kong and 350HK on Friday. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Members of Hong Kong-based Extinction Rebellion join a rally organised with Waste Free Hong Kong and 350HK on Friday. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

The group recommended phasing out coal-fired power by 2025 and cancelling all new investments in gas-fired generating units. Among other actions, the group also wants to ban the sales of fossil-fuel powered vehicles by 2025, require solar panels on all new buildings, and introduce a carbon tax to encourage lower energy use by corporations and individuals.

Lam Chiu-ying, former Hong Kong Observatory director and convenor of the council’s support group on decarbonisation strategy, said he welcomed all stakeholders and interested parties to campaign on environmental issues in the way they saw fit.

“Of course, I encourage people to submit their views to the consultation, but I think going on strike can also raise public awareness,” he said.

“And, more importantly, remind people of their individual responsibility to take simple steps to go green, such as turning off air conditioners and eating less meat.”