Hong Kong lacks a climate narrative to unify its efforts

Hong Kong deserves credit for its first five-year plan, accompanied by a detailed policy address. The plan establishes a useful framework beyond the annual policy cycle. Precisely because this is an important first effort, it is worth asking what could make the framework even stronger.

One striking omission is that the five-year plan never explicitly mentions climate change. This does not mean Hong Kong is failing to act.

On the contrary, the plan and policy address contain many measures dealing with decarbonisation, adaptation, resilience and nature. But because climate change is not highlighted as a unifying focus, these measures appear fragmented.

Consider the binding indicators. They include the long-standing reduction in carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product and increasing the proportion of zero-carbon energy in electricity generation. The plan also addresses cleaner power, electric vehicles, green maritime fuels, sustainable aviation fuel, energy efficiency, hydrogen, waste reduction and carbon trading.