Future City: Hong Kong is far behind world target for carbon reductions

Transcription

1 [Media Report] Ming Pao 9/12/2018 Future City: Hong Kong is far behind world target for carbon reductions Link (Chinese Only)

2 [Press Release] Calls for greater Hong Kong ambition on climate action at the COP24 talks in Poland CarbonCare InnoLab from Hong Kong has announced the release of Paris Watch: Hong Kong Climate Action Report at the COP24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland. The report finds that Hong Kong is not on target if its greenhouse gas emission reductions are to contribute Hong Kong s fair share to the achievement of the Paris Agreement targets on keeping global temperatures down. Delegates to the COP climate talks continue to work for agreement on the creation of a rulebook to implement the Paris Agreement. There is little disagreement, however, about the importance of cities in leading climate action. Action by cities has been raised many times throughout the last ten days of negotiations and meetings. Lord Nicholas Stern from the Grantham Institute noted that cities are responsible for three quarters of the world s carbon emissions. Cities are projected to almost double in population by 2050, which will create a new economy equal in size to our present global economic system. It is impossible for us to manage this, said Lord Stern, without cities planning now to move rapidly to zero carbon economies. Representatives from the three major international city alliances on climate change: C40 cities, ICLEI: Local Governments for Sustainability and the Global Covenant of Mayors, shared a platform on Tuesday to assert that all cities need to plan for net zero carbon emissions by This is the same target that CarbonCare InnoLab has used in its research for Paris Watch Climate Action Report for Hong Kong. Everything we have heard here from scientists and politicians at the COP talks just confirms the message of the Paris Watch: Hong Kong Climate Action report that Hong Kong must plan to rapidly raise its ambition levels on greenhouse gas emission reductions said John Sayer, Research Director of CarbonCare InnoLab.

3 Paris Watch examines Hong Kong s current state and future targets related to the main aspects of the Paris Climate Agreement and assesses the City s performance against the spirit and letter of the agreement. Five other major Asian cities from the C40 Cities alliance Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are chosen for comparison with Hong Kong due to their similarities in size, development status or coastal locations (collectively known as Comparable Cities in this study). Paris Watch methodology seeks to ensure that the most important aspects of the Paris agreement are measured, while keeping the points simple and clear to understand for the non-specialist. The main authors of the Paris Watch Hong Kong Climate Action Report, John Sayer and Maria Francesch-Huidobro, are presenting the report at a COP24 side meeting at 11:30 am CET on 13 December 2018 in the WWF Panda Hub Pavilion. One of the most significant findings is that Hong Kong is 78% short of the 2030 target of 2 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per capita which a C40 cities and ARUP study have calculated are essential if cities are to play their role in the Paris Climate Agreement. The report also flags the following warnings: Indicators Hong Kong s Performance Remarks Current greenhouse gas emissions (tonnes of CO2 equivalent per capita) HK ranks 4 th among Comparable Cities HK s current performance (5.7) is better than Singapore (8.53) but worse than Seoul (4.43), but its emissions will be more than doubled if carbon footprint of imported meat and dairy Current carbon intensity for electricity production (kilograms of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour of electricity generation) Greenhouse gas emissions target (tonnes of CO2 equivalent per capita) Worst among Comparable Cities 78% short of the 2030 target set by C40 Cities for high GDP + high emitting cities is included A surprising finding for HK (0.561) indicating its continued over-reliance on coal-fired power generation, though it already imports about one-quarter of electricity from nuclear power in Mainland China Even if HK succeeds with its carbon emissions target of tonnes per capita by 2030, it will fall short of the 2.0 tonnes target

4 Renewable energy target (Share of renewable energy in overall energy consumption) Energy efficiency in Commercial Buildings (terajoule per 10,000 square metre of gross floor area) Energy efficiency in Residential Buildings (terajoule per 10,000 square metre of gross floor area) Energy efficiency in transport (MJ/passenger-km travelled) Transition to electric mobility (Share of electric/hybrid vehicles in total registered motor vehicles) Worst among Comparable Cities On par with Singapore but 3.3 times less efficient than Tokyo HK ranks 3 rd among Comparable Cities HK is 8% less efficient than Singapore but 57% more efficient than Tokyo Best among Comparable Cities recommended by C40 Cities in accordance with the trajectory in the Paris Agreement At just 3-4% by 2030, HK s renewable target stands 12 times below China s target of 50% and 15 times Shenzhen s target of 60%. HK s energy consumption in commercial building is 52.3 TJ/10,000 m 2 GFA compared to 51.8 for Singapore, despite the fact that Singapore requires all-yearround cooling due to its tropical climate HK s energy consumption in residential buildings at 6.01 TJ/10,000m 2 GFA, is 1.5 times higher than Singapore and 38% higher than Tokyo indicating serious gaps in building standards HK s energy use in all forms of transport combined is 1.4 MJ/passenger-km, compared with 1.3 for Singapore and 2.2 for Tokyo, indicating the success of the mass transit system The current proportion of electric/hybrid vehicles on HK roads (37.2 per 1,000 registered motor vehicles) is the highest among Comparable Cities In line with Paris Agreement goals, the Hong Kong Climate Action Report also examines how the city is taking measures to adapt to climate change and ensure the city is safe and healthy. The Paris Watch report credits action related to the threat of heavy rainfall in terms of drainage and slopes. On other aspects of climate-related extreme weather events,

5 however, the report suggests there is much to be done to prepare for sea-level rise, tidal surges, and the impact of heatwaves and heat-related diseases on those working outdoors, children and old people. The report also assesses the policies and institutions included in the Paris Agreement to ensure the goals are achieved. These include action to promote technology, capacity building and finance. In this case, the report also finds Hong Kong lacking compared with many of its neighbours, despite that fact that as a Special Administrative Region it has the autonomy to develop institutions, policies and incentive programmes in addition to national initiatives. Hong Kong is not on track in terms of reducing overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050 in line with recommendation in the latest IPCC 1.5 C as well as all major city-level initiatives on climate action. There can be no exceptionalism for a city as prosperous as Hong Kong, said John Sayer, the Project Lead. The shockingly unambitious targets for renewable energy must be reversed. We need an unprecedented level of mobilization, vigour and self-belief on green infrastructure, technology and finance the opportunities for which will benefit not only Hong Kong, but all of China and the whole region. The Paris Agreement targets should be seen as an opportunity, not a burden. An opportunity to develop the green and renewable products and services which will represent the most important growth area in the decades to come. There is no trade-off between doing good and doing well. On the contrary, doing badly on climate change will certainly mean Hong Kong will do badly at business and in other social aspects: from not being ready for climate-related business disruption, to having a poor international reputation. Senior Advisor to Paris Watch, Ir Albert Lai added, Out of the eight quantitative indicators we have compared in the study, Hong Kong came out worst in two indicators and best in only one indicator. Responsibility for mitigating and adapting to climate change is dispersed throughout the government. The government has not set up a powerful climate authority like (for example) in Seoul, Tokyo or Singapore. Overall, the city does not seem to be taking advantage of its pre-existing strengths in finance, technology and education to take leadership and seize the opportunities presented by the transition to low-carbon economies nationally or regionally. All parties to the Paris Agreement acknowledge that cities, whose populations are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, must make exceptional efforts along the pathway to a carbon-neutral future. According to C40 Cities, an alliance of cities to

6 which Hong Kong belongs, prosperous cities must do even more than the rest in cutting down their emissions. The October 2018 report from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which underpins UN climate agreements, noted the importance of targeting a 1.5 C limit to temperature rises because of the serious impact of a 2 C rise in global temperatures will have on extreme heat, sea levels, ecosystems, species loss, crops failure and fisheries. CarbonCare InnoLab Katowice. 13 th December 2018 For further information, please contact John Sayer ( ) and Tina Kwan ( ).

7 The overriding and deeply significant finding of the work is that the next 4 years will determine whether or not the world s megacities can deliver their part of the ambition of the Paris Agreement. C40 Cities/Arup. Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done. London 2016 Paris Watch The Hong Kong Climate Action Report is a project aiming to contribute to the momentum for climate change action in Hong Kong and comparable cities by researching, ranking and evaluating contributions to the Paris Climate Agreement s goals. This will be promoted with related communications and networking activities. The project will produce a Paris Watch: Hong Kong Climate Action Report Card to illustrate in an easy-to-understand yet compelling manner how cities, provinces and states similar to Hong Kong are measuring up to the letter and the spirit of the Paris Climate Agreement. Formats will include printed material as well as coverage in social media and interactive online presentations which will allow examination of the underlying data. The core information will be promoted through a comprehensive communications strategy to ensure this work gets noticed and promotes discussion on the subject: How does my city measure up in the global effort to reduce and adapt to climate change? The project hopes to create a network of independent organizations in Hong Kong and around the world with a common interest in tracking, assessing and publicizing climate action progress in cities measured against the Paris Agreement targets and its component Nationally Determined Contributions.

8 A model of change to make a difference This project aims to ensure Hong Kong s climate plans undergo clear analysis, informed public debate and serious international benchmarking. A key component of this will involve the presentation of information in an accessible and approachable way. We believe that a fair ranking and benchmarking of achievements is a useful tool for prompting improved performance and accelerating climate action. Hong Kong s performance on climate mitigation and adaptation will be benchmarked against cities and other comparable sub-national territories, or against the action necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement s target of holding temperature rise between 1.5 C and 2.0 C. By building on the information over several years, we can chart the pace of progress in Hong Kong towards the Paris Agreement targets, including concepts of fair shares (responsibility and capacity) as well as how Hong Kong contributes to China s national targets. Areas for climate action examined in the Report Card In keeping with the Paris Agreement design, the project will examine the following aspects of climate action: Mitigation: Reducing GHG emissions, saving energy and transitioning to clean energy Adaptation: Protecting the health, life and property of citizens and their organizations Finance: Developing green financial instruments and institutions necessary to finance a carbon-neutral economy by the second half of this century Technology and Capacity building: Developing the core competences, technologies and institutions needed to reach the Paris goals Monitoring, reporting and verifying: Ensuring climate plans and actions are transparent and accountable