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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the opening ceremony of C40 Workshop held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (November 5):
Mayor Miller, Mayor Bloomberg, Your Royal Highness (Princess Birgitta), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to join you for the C40 Workshop opening plenary.
Hong Kong is privileged to host this Workshop, and I am delighted to welcome you all to our city.
Each of our cities share common goals – to reduce our carbon footprint; to make our environment more livable, and to join hands to combat global warming and climate change.
Climate change poses an unprecedented challenge, and all of us are feeling its impact.
Although there are many different views on the exact nature of the problems and solutions, there is a clear consensus that action is urgently required.
Cities are the single biggest source of the problem and, together they hold the most important solutions to our environmental challenges.
Cities are home to more than half of the world's population, they consume over two-thirds of the world's energy, and emit more than 70% of total carbon dioxides.
Cities must unlock the full potential of low carbon technologies and city dwellers must adopt a new mindset.
City living should not be taken as a free pass to excess consumption and careless lifestyle choices. Instead it should carry a heavy responsibility of caring for the environment we share.
While each city is distinctive and unique, the environmental challenges we face are mostly the same.
C40 provides a great platform to build a spirit of collaboration. We are honoured to have so many renowned speakers and panelists from around the world to share with us their insights and expertise.
The two key themes at this Workshop are green buildings and environmentally-friendly transport. Both buildings and transport are essential elements of modern life. Yet they can never be fully green or wholly environmentally-friendly. Here-in lies the challenge.
In Hong Kong our aim is to enhance the energy-efficiency of buildings through new technologies, renewable energy and responsible energy use.
We are also promoting cleaner transport by introducing electric vehicles and encouraging bus companies to upgrade their fleets and test new technologies. I have insisted in my latest Policy Address that "the ultimate policy objective of the Government is to have zero emission buses running across the territory."
We have also set for ourselves a progressive target to reduce our carbon intensity by between 50% and 60% by 2020, using 2005 as the base level.
By then, Hong Kong would be able to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by up to one-third. Our per capita emission level would also drop from about 6.5 tonnes in 2005 to around 4 tonnes in 2020. This would be among the lowest in developed economies.
In Hong Kong, we have not only community support for a greener lifestyle but also the business acumen to grasp the opportunities from new technologies, products and trends.
Low carbon living need not be achieved at the expense of economic growth. Both are important to attaining sustainable development.
Another area of great importance to Hong Kong's environment is regional co-operation.
We are joining hands with our friends and neighbours in Mainland China to turn the Pearl River Delta into a quality living region. Our aim is to transform ourselves into a "green" example for the rest of the country.
Our cross-boundary collaboration is built on shared environmental goals and sharing knowledge. We also have a shared commitment to promote green transport and energy-efficient buildings, including the many factories in the Pearl River Delta region, many of which we own.
Ladies and gentlemen, we like to call Hong Kong "Asia's world city". Low carbon living is part and parcel of our aspirations as a truly international metropolis.
We look forward to working closely with you all, our C40 partners, to ensure a more livable and sustainable environment for our future generations.
Finally, I wish you all a successful Workshop, and a memorable stay here in Hong Kong.
Thank you.
Ends/Friday, November 5, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:35
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