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The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, today (June 1, São Paulo time) attended the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in São Paulo, Brazil, to share with member cities strategies and experiences in tackling climate change.
Mr Yau attended the Opening Plenary and Mayor's Press Conference in the morning. In the afternoon, he hosted a session entitled "Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings" and discussed large-scale energy efficiency retrofitting programmes in existing buildings with representatives from Houston, Melbourne and Tokyo.
They looked at a range of energy-saving options with an emphasis on funding mechanisms and policy drivers.
Mr Yau also met the Mayor of Basel, Ms Eva Herzog, and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern.
During the C40 Summit in São Paulo, Mr Yau will represent the Hong Kong Government to participate in the meeting of the Steering Committee of the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit. The C40 Steering Committee is the decision-making body of the C40 and is responsible for setting the work direction of the C40. The Steering Committee's duties also include deciding on the themes of working sessions and the biennial C40 Summits.
The Steering Committee is currently chaired by the Mayor of New York, Mr Michael Bloomberg. Hong Kong officially accepted the invitation from the C40 in early May to become a member of the C40 Steering Committee. As the representative of the Government, the Secretary for the Environment will participate in meetings and the work of the Steering Committee. Other member cities in the C40 Steering Committee are London, Los Angeles, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Berlin, Seoul and Tokyo.
"After becoming a member of the C40 Steering Committee, Hong Kong will play a more active role in C40 in promoting the work on combating climate change in the international community," Mr Yau said.
Formed in 2005, C40 aims to promote collaboration among cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy efficiency.
Hong Kong joined C40 in October 2007. Since then, Hong Kong has actively taken part in a range of events, including joining the C40 Steering Committee on Electric Vehicles in 2009. Hong Kong hosted the C40 Hong Kong Workshop in November 2010, and shared strategies and experiences in green transport and low-carbon buildings with mayors and representatives from over 30 C40 cities.
Ends/Thursday, June 2, 2011
Issued at HKT 10:49
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