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Policy Address

Striving towards Carbon Neutrality

110. To reduce the total carbon emissions by 50% before 2035 (from the 2005 level) in order to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality before 2050, it is imperative that we step up decarbonisation efforts. We will:

  1. conserve energy – Over 60% of our carbon emissions is attributable to generating electricity for buildings. Our goal is to improve the overall energy performance of government buildings and infrastructure by more than 6% by 2024-25. We will accelerate the incorporation of district cooling systems in NDAs (including the Northern Metropolis) to reduce energy consumption. We are preparing legislative amendments to expand the scope of the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme to include more household appliances. By doing so, the total residential energy consumption of household appliances accounted for under the scheme will increase from 50% to about 80%;

  2. promote green transport – The Government will cease new registration of fuel-propelled and hybrid private cars in 2035 or earlier. In the coming three years, an additional 7 000 parking spaces with electric vehicle chargers will be provided in government premises. To expedite low-carbon transformation in the transport sector, we will conduct trials of new generation electric taxis, as well as hydrogen fuel cell electric double-deckers and heavy vehicles next year. Moreover, we aim to complete two tasks by 2025, which include announcing a roadmap for the promotion of electric public transport and commercial vehicles; and formulating the long-term strategies for the application of hydrogen energy in road transport. We will also introduce about 700 electric buses and 3 000 electric taxis by end-2027; and

  3. promote waste reduction in the community – To achieve the goal of Zero Landfill by 2035, we will strive to engage the entire community in waste reduction and waste separation for recycling. In addition, we will expedite the development of modern waste-to-energy (WtE) incinerators. Apart from actively preparing for the implementation of municipal solid waste charging next year at the earliest, we will launch a host of new initiatives. First, we will introduce a bill into the LegCo early next year to regulate disposable plastic tableware and other plastic products. Second, we will explore legislation requiring major housing estates and single-block buildings with a relatively large number of flats to collect separated recyclables and pass them to recyclers for processing. Third, we will build the first modern WtE incinerator near Shek Kwu Chau at full speed and plan the development of the second one in Tsang Tsui, Tuen Mun. We will also study developing more similar advanced facilities in the Northern Metropolis. Last, we will launch a trial scheme on food waste collection in PRH within this year.

111. The Council for Sustainable Development will be re-organised, becoming the new Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development to offer advice on decarbonisation strategies.

112. To strengthen collaboration among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in combating climate change as well as joint prevention and control of air pollution in the GBA, the Government is preparing to set up a supersite for GBA air quality laboratory and meteorology monitoring in Hong Kong to provide regional air pollution and meteorological monitoring and forecasting services.