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The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (April 7) chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee on Climate Change (the Steering Committee).
The Hong Kong SAR Government attaches great importance to the work on combating climate change, and actions are being taken on various fronts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a view to reducing the territory's carbon intensity by between 50 per cent and 60 per cent by 2020, using 2005 as the base level.
With the positive outcome of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Hong Kong must ready itself for making greater effort and approach climate change more holistically, as it is an issue with broad socio-economic impacts beyond environmental protection.
Recognising the need to step up climate actions and to draw up long-term policies, the Chief Executive announced in the 2016 Policy Address the establishment of an inter-departmental committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for Administration to steer and coordinate the climate actions of various bureaux and departments.
Members of the Steering Committee include 10 policy bureaux and three departments. Other departments may attend future meetings on an ad hoc basis. The membership and terms of reference of the Steering Committee are set out in Annex I and Annex II respectively.
At the Steering Committee's first meeting today, members reviewed the existing policy on combating climate change and noted that Hong Kong is on track to meet the carbon intensity reduction target in 2020. The meeting discussed the implications of the adoption of the Paris Agreement for Hong Kong and overseas experience in combating climate change. A key task of the Steering Committee is to formulate long term climate strategies to meet a new carbon reduction target beyond 2020. In this connection, bureaux and departments were asked to review the scope for enhancing their mitigation, adaptation and resilience actions [Note], with an aim of coming up with an enhanced climate change work plan, and a carbon reduction target for 2030 towards the end of this year.
The meeting recognised that enhancing publicity and public education, in particular among the younger generation, is crucial to motivating different sectors in the society to join hands in combating climate change. To this end, the Government will organise and take part in a series of publicity events to promulgate the climate change message to the community at large, with special focus on young people. The Education Bureau will actively promote environmental education, with an emphasis on climate change, both within and outside the kindergarten, primary and secondary curriculum. Schools will be encouraged to participate and organise life-wide learning activities on climate change and green lifestyle, enabling students to put what they learnt into practice.
To gauge the views of stakeholders on combating climate change and to foster collaboration, a stakeholder engagement forum chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration will be organised in summer. Details of the event will be announced in due course.
Note:
Climate change mitigation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gas.
Climate change adaptation refers to efforts to anticipate the adverse effects of climate change and take appropriate actions to prevent or minimise the damage.
Climate change resilience refers to efforts to cope and absorb climate change related stresses and maintain the functional operation of public services, and economic and social activities.
Ends/Thursday, April 7, 2016
Issued at HKT 21:24
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