The Hong Kong economy is predominately supported by the tertiary industry without major energy-intensive industries. In 2019, electricity generation was the largest source of carbon emissions (66%), followed by transport (18%) and waste (7%). These three major emission sources together accounted for over 90% of the total emissions, and are therefore the three most critical areas of our decarbonisation work.
Currently, the local fuel mix for electricity generation mainly relies on fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. We can remove most of the carbon emissions if we increase the use of zero-carbon energy for electricity generation and gradually phase out fossil fuel vehicles by electrifying the transport sector. For carbon emissions from waste, they are mainly GHGs generated by the decomposition of municipal waste in landfills. As such, we will have to break away entirely from landfilling for municipal waste disposal in order to reduce carbon emissions and avoid utilising our precious land for developing new landfills. As for the remaining carbon emission sources, such as non-road vehicles and refrigerants, we have to identify suitable zero-carbon energy or alternative technologies.
Increasing the use of zero-carbon energy requires the support of technologies as well as finance and land resources. On the other hand, reducing the energy demand can lower the total cost of switching to zero-carbon energy and lessen the financial burden on the public. At present, buildings account for about 90% of the electricity consumption in Hong Kong. As such, improving energy efficiency of buildings to reduce the energy demand will be our top priority in future energy saving efforts.
Based on the above analysis, the strategies for Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050 should comprise: “net-zero electricity generation”, “energy saving and green buildings”, “green transport” and “waste reduction”.
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