Hong Kong is not alone in fighting the climate change battle, but are a part and closely intertwined with the policies and legislature posed by mainland China. Hong Kong on its own accord is home to around seven million people and is one of the two special administrative regions of China, with Macau. World population Review claims Hong Kong to be one of the most densely populated places on earth with 6,300 people per square kilometer.
Carbon neutrality itself can be achieved by equalising the amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount or an offset. The general Hong Kong city landscape consists of offices and corresponding factories in the mainland. In this case, Hong Kong has to invest in better technology and work on still keeping the connectivity with the mainland.
The cramped up physical nature of Hong Kong poses a great limitation to increasing energy efficiency and lack of government drive has meant that it has not become the ultimate goal for the people to reach a carbon neutral nation. The government has also received much criticism for being unable to set clear targets past 2030. NGOs in Hong Kong have not been very positive about the current action plan and have criticised it saying that it lacks conviction.
However, on the flip side, the government’s plan is quite comprehensive where they target to reduce total carbon emissions by around 26%-36%. The debate of switching completely to renewable energy sources has been continuously stretched because the Environment Bureau has made it clear that the city does not have the physical capacity for large scale commercial use. Yet, no concrete target was set in terms of renewable energy – WWF Hong Kong claims that [the government’s] openness to 3 to 4 percent renewable energy should be formalized.
It is hard for us to estimate why the government is not being as productive as these NGOs would like them to be- but the government in response has said that the future of energy is actually very uncertain. In return, the city has been kept in a precarious situation where we are unsure if 2030 holds a carbon neutral Hong Kong, a coal free city and it is unknown “what will be the mix between natural gas and nuclear energy”- Maura Wong, CEO of think tank ‘Civic Engage’.
