First and foremost, Civic Exchange would like to offer our congratulations on Mr. John Lee’s inauguration as HKSAR Chief Executive. We hope that he will see Civic Exchange, Hong Kong’s oldest independent think tank for the environment, as a partner and a supporter as he works with civil society to build a strong and renewed future for Hong Kong.
In that spirit, we understand that the upcoming Chief Executive’s manifesto includes commitments relating to sustainable development. Of the many environmental challenges facing Hong Kong as an island city, climate change is perhaps the one that deserves immediate attention. We are already being impacted by hotter temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, and sea level rise. These impacts will only intensify in the future, posing risks to our physical security, economic assets, and infrastructure. In response, we believe the incoming administration should prioritise the acceleration of decarbonisation in Hong Kong and the strengthening of climate resilience. Using sustainability as an overarching guide for policymaking strongly aligns with the Central Government’s 14th Five Year Plan development priority of building an “ecological civilisation” and will lend credibility to the city on the international stage.
We believe the new administration shares our vision of Hong Kong as a resilient, people-centric, liveable city. Moreover, there are abundant opportunities for the city to become a leader in green finance, both in the Greater Bay Area and worldwide. By establishing a robust ecosystem for green finance, promoting green innovation and technology and leveraging professional expertise across sectors, Hong Kong can solicit greater levels of investment and enhance its competitiveness while contributing to a sustainable world.
Referencing our research as well as results from stakeholder engagement, we have developed a series of recommendations for the incoming administration to fast-track sustainability policy. We have prioritised the following aspects (Specific recommendations can be found in the Annex):
- Power
- Finance
- Buildings
- Mobility
- Waste
- Adaptation and resilience
Civic Exchange strongly believes that aligning all sectors towards meaningful climate and sustainability action will bring a multitude of co-benefits, including economic growth, greater competitiveness, improved public health, more innovation, and greater liveability. We look forward to collaborating with the new administration and hope that consideration will be given to our suggestions.
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