The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, addressed about 450 business leaders and executives from Japan and Hong Kong at a webinar today (December 2), setting out a series of proactive strategies and measures formulated by Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as well as the business opportunities arising from the green initiatives.
At the webinar entitled "Hong Kong's Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2050 – Goals and Opportunities", Mr Wong briefed the audience on the various strategies introduced by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to combat climate change. These include accelerating net-zero electricity generation, promoting energy saving and green buildings, promoting wider use of electric vehicles and other new energy transport; and promoting waste reduction, resources circulation and zero landfills. He also set out actions to enhance Hong Kong's air quality and outlined Hong Kong's pathway to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. Noting that Japan shared a similar goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, and the leading position of its green technologies, Mr Wong called on Japanese enterprises to partner with Hong Kong to tap the growth opportunities arising from Hong Kong's zero carbon emission targets.
He stressed that "In the next 15 to 20 years, the HKSAR Government would devote about HK$240 billion to various measures on climate change mitigation and adaptation. A new Office of Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality will also be set up to strengthen co-ordination and promote deep decarbonisation. The HKSAR Government will also establish a dedicated advisory committee on combating climate change to encourage different sectors in the community to participate actively in climate actions."
Other speakers at the webinar were the Chairperson of the BEAM Society Limited, Ms Ivy Lee; the Vice Chairman of the Green Committee of the Smart City Consortium, Mr Paul Tsui; and the Chairman of the Environment Committee, the Hong Kong Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Makashima Tatsuya. They discussed collaboration opportunities and the potential for Japanese businesses arising from Hong Kong's green initiatives. The speakers were generally of the view that achieving carbon neutrality before 2050 would require concerted commitment and efforts from the entire community.
Organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Tokyo) and co-organised by Invest Hong Kong, the webinar was supported by the Japan External Trade Organization Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the BEAM Society Limited, the Smart City Consortium and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
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