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Following is the closing speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at the 2007 International Conference on Climate Change this afternoon (May 31):
Otto, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for the invitation to speak today. Hong Kong is honoured to have hosted such a high-powered international conference on climate change. Global warming is one of the most important challenges facing our planet, and this summit builds on a worldwide momentum and determination to deal with this crucial issue.
It also highlights the importance that we in Hong Kong place on this subject. Many of you are world leaders in the fight against global warming and have come here from the four corners of the world. Your meeting and what emerges from it will have a positive and lasting impact on how our city, and many others, tackle the daunting challenge of climate change.
Over the past three days this forum has provided a unique platform to explore ways to tackle global warming from the scientific, technical and socio-economic points of view. Policy makers have been able to exchange views with leading environmentalists on the best ways to mitigate climate change.
Across the world there is an overwhelming scientific consensus, reaffirmed by many of the speeches and presentations delivered at this conference, that we humans are responsible for climate change.
Industrialisation and development over the past few decades has reached unprecedented levels around the world, and especially here in Asia. We are producing and consuming on a scale beyond the imagination of our ancestors. Factories are at full stretch to cope with the demand. Yet, the pattern of consumption is uneven.
A developed nation often consumes more than many developing countries combined. And the unpalatable fact is that poorer countries are likely to be hit hardest by global warming. They are often ill equipped to reverse the trend, or to cope with the dire consequences of climate change, like drought, flooding and rising sea levels.
We are looking to you, the experts, for the global vision and direction needed to develop strategies to combat the threat of climate change.
I believe that developed countries have the responsibility to provide leadership under the core principle of common but differentiated responsibilities set out by the United Nations. The Climate Change Bill proposed by the UK is one example of the leadership required.
The challenge for all of us is to achieve a more sustainable pattern of development and consumption. We have many tools at our fingertips to achieve this. New technology, fiscal measures and government policy are just a few. But time is not on our side. Newspapers and television screens, and even the man who was almost the President of the United States, are constantly raising awareness on climate change and its potential dangers - yes, Al Gore came here too last year to promote his Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth".
On a day-to-day level, much of the awareness-building has focused on energy conservation and the development of cleaner fuel. Consumers have to be persuaded to make smarter choices for the sake of the environment, even if it means lifestyle changes.
It's a bit like going on a diet... every little helps.
International figures show that Hong Kong's greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for less than 0.2% of total global emissions, are amongst the lowest in the developed world in per capita terms. In 2005, that translated to 6.5 tonnes per capita, compared to 24 tonnes for the US, 11 tonnes for the UK and Japan, and 9 tonnes for Singapore. Between 1990 and 2005, our emissions intensity - the amount of greenhouse gasses produced relative to the size of economy - actually fell by 41%. This is a clear indication of a more efficient economy, and a more efficient use of energy.
That said, no country, city, town or village is immune to the threat of global warming, directly or indirectly. There is no comfort zone in which to hide. Hong Kong is facing up to the challenge.
We have an advantage over most other developed cities in that there is no major energy-consuming heavy industry here. Instead, our economic success is based on the low energy, high value-added service sector.
Equally important is the government's joint efforts with the community to promote energy efficiency, and the use of cleaner fuels.
Electricity generation is our major source of greenhouse gasses, accounting for about 60% of our total emissions. It is not a new phenomenon. Ten years ago the government banned the construction of new coal-fired power stations, in favour of cleaner gas-fired plants, to ease the problem.
We are continuing to encourage the two power companies in Hong Kong to switch to cleaner fuels. And when we renew their schemes of control next year we will link their permitted rates of return to the achievement of emission reductions. In other words, their profitability will depend very much on how clean their operations are.
Many other measures and programmes are in place to tackle climate change in the city. They include the promotion of renewable energy. Our target is that 1 to 2 per cent of our total electricity supply will come from renewable sources by 2012.
Hong Kong's first wind turbine has been operating on one of our offshore islands (Lamma) for more than a year. A second project on another island (Hei Ling Chau) is in the pipeline. We have also embarked on a programme to use methane gas at landfills as fuel.
The government is also taking the lead in promoting energy efficiency. Our latest estimates show that we are on track to have cut electricity use by 6 per cent in the four years ending March 2007. The final figure will be available later in the year after all data has been collected. Since 2005, all new government buildings have had to meet "greener" guidelines. These include installing automatic lighting control systems and more efficient air conditioning units. Solar panels have also been installed in many government buildings and will also be introduced in public housing estates this year.
Hong Kong is not just a bustling business district. Almost half our land, about 43 per cent, is designated as country parks or other green zones, free of development. We take great pride in our natural environment and have planted more than 11 million trees over the past five years, with more to come. This greening process has also proved to be an effective form of carbon sequestration, an important weapon against global warming.
Regardless of whether you have visited our country parks, you will probably have taken advantage of Hong Kong's expansive public transport network. In a city of almost seven million people, our transport system is a key component in promoting sustainable development. By ferrying people from home to work and back again on a safe, efficient and relatively cheap transport system, we have been able to keep greenhouse gases from the transport sector to as low as 15 per cent of total emissions. Not bad when you consider over 11 million passenger trips are made each day, 90 per cent of them on public transport.
Combating climate change will only be successful if we all face up to our responsibilities. Governments, big business, NGOs and individual citizens all have a significant role to play. Our Council for Sustainable Development is asking the public for their views on how to improve our air quality and energy efficiency. More specifically, we seek initiatives on reducing consumption, to enhance our demand side management. Conservationists are a vocal sector in most societies, including here in Hong Kong, and we seek their expertise in finding cleaner ways to power the city. The business sector is also being urged to instill environmental values into day-to-day decision-making.
All of this will not only help to keep our city clean and cut costs, it will also open up a new area of opportunity for entrepreneurs as we shift towards a low-carbon-dependent economy. New technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions ranging from cleaner fuel, to more energy-efficient home appliances, are just a couple of the new business opportunities being tapped. Companies that successfully integrate climate change into corporate strategies, stand to win this global challenge.
But, Hong Kong's environmental battle is not confined to our own land mass - it stretches beyond our boundaries. About 80 per cent of air pollution in this region is generated in the Pearl River Delta, just beyond our boundary with the Mainland of China. We have joined hands with our provincial neighbours to clean up the air, and we are all working hard to reach emission-reduction targets by 2010. Hong Kong also provides technical assistance to factories in the Pearl River Delta Region to improve production techniques. The aim is to demonstrate, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises, that they can improve productivity and cut costs by using cleaner and more efficient production procedures.
Here in Hong Kong, financial incentives and public awareness education are being used to get consumers on side in the battle to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Car owners can now get concessions of up to HK$50,000, or more than US$6,000, by switching to more environmentally friendly vehicles. We are running a voluntary Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme that began in 1995 to help people make better informed choices about what they buy. An additional mandatory scheme for room coolers, refrigerators and compact fluorescent lamps has also been tabled our legislature.
The message is that every individual can and must play a part to protect the environment for future generations. It is up to each and every one of us to make the right choices, even if it means changing life-long habits when it comes to consuming. The vast majority are willing participants and it often requires only a gentle reminder or a nudge in the right direction. Our Action Blue Sky Campaign does just that. To give one example, it urges people to keep their air conditioners at 25.5?C during summer months. A simple act that can save one billion units of electricity and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 700,000 tonnes a year! The government has also taken the lead by encouraging people to dress more casually in the hotter summer months so that they might not feel the need to twist the air conditioning knob a few degrees cooler.
Hong Kong prides itself on being a world city. We flourish on international trade, and firmly believe that continued economic growth can only be achieved if we protect the environment that sustains us. Protecting against global warming must be a team effort, spearheaded by the strongest and wealthiest nations, protecting and guiding the most vulnerable regions, and above all ensuring an environment for our future generations to enjoy and in which they can continue to thrive.
Ladies and gentlemen, this climate change conference has been a significant event in helping to achieve our goals and aspirations for a cleaner, greener and more efficient tomorrow. Your wisdom and experience has given us clear direction and insight in facing up to the major challenge of controlling climate change. As this conference comes to a close, I am confident the impact of your discussions will be felt for a long time to come.
Thank you.
Ends/Thursday, May 31, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:17
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