Climate Change

Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and it affects each and every one of us. Here you can learn about what climate change is, the ways in which it is occurring in Hong Kong, what the Government is doing to combat the problem, and how you can help too.

What Climate Change is

Climate change refers to the change in climate as a result of human activities that cause a change in the atmospheric composition, in addition to natural climate variability. Human activities cause increases in atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, mainly through burning of fossil fuels. The greenhouse gases act like a blanket in the atmosphere, trapping heat on Earth and keeping our planet warm. However, the human-induced increases in greenhouse gases have enhanced the greenhouse effect and caused the climate system to warm – a phenomenon commonly called global warming. This general rise in temperature in turn leads to a proliferation of other problems, such as more frequent heat waves and extreme rainfall events, increased global proportion of major tropical cyclones, rise of sea level, reduction in agricultural production, scarcity of water resource in certain regions, spread of disease, loss of ecological and environmental balance, etc.

Temperature trend (℃ per decade) over 1900-1980 (upper) and 1981-2020 (lower) (Image credit: IPCC AR6)

Climate Change in Hong Kong

In line with the global trend, Hong Kong has been warming up in the last century or so. The number of hot nights is increasing while the number of cold days is decreasing. Apart from rising air temperature and sea surface temperature, Hong Kong experiences more frequent heavy rain than before. The sea level is rising in Victoria Harbour.

Information about climate change and the situation in Hong Kong is available through the following links.

The Paris Agreement and Hong Kong

The Paris Agreement, which came into force on 4 November 2016, applies to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as well. As part of China, the HKSAR has the duty to make its contribution in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement calls upon the Parties to cooperate with the private sector, civil society, financial institutions, cities and regions in order to mobilise stronger and more ambitious climate actions in the world.

Carbon Emissions and Hong Kong

Hong Kong is among the earliest cities in Asia taking actions to combat climate change. We stopped the construction of new coal-fired power plants in 1997, and our carbon emissions peaked in 2014. Hong Kong's total GHG emissions in 2023 were approximately 34.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), representing a reduction of about 20 per cent compared to 2005 levels and a reduction of about 25 percent from the peak emissions in 2014. The per capita GHG emissions in 2023 reached a new low since 1990, at approximately 4.58 tonnes CO2-e. It is nearly 30 per cent lower than those in 2005 and 2014, and is about a quarter of that of the United States and 60 per cent of that of the European Union. To meet the country's "dual carbon" targets, Hong Kong has set the ambitious targets to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, and reduce Hong Kong's carbon emissions by 50% before 2035 as compared to the 2005 level.

In 2021, the Government announced Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050, which outlined four major decarbonisation strategies, namely “net-zero electricity generation”, “energy saving and green buildings”, “green transport” and “waste reduction”, that would lead Hong Kong towards the goal of carbon neutrality before 2050.

Climate Change Initiatives in Hong Kong

Net-zero Electricity Generation

Electricity generation is Hong Kong’s major source of carbon emissions, accounting for about 61% of the city’s total carbon emissions in 2023. The Government has seen to it that the two power companies use cleaner fuel for electricity generation. The share of coal in electricity generation has reduced from about half in 2015 to about one-fifth at present, while the share of natural gas has significantly increased from about a quarter to more than half.

The Government has set "net-zero electricity generation" as one of the major decarbonisation strategies in the Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050. The Government will achieve the long-term target of net-zero electricity generation before 2050 by increasing zero-carbon electricity supply through renewable energy (RE) development, and exploring new energy sources for electricity generation and regional cooperation. Details are as follows.

The Government has pledged to cease using coal for daily electricity generation by 2035 and will only keep it for providing backup support. We will also gradually increase the use of zero-carbon energy. The Government will explore and try out the use of different types of zero-carbon energy for electricity generation with a view to adopting them in Hong Kong when the technologies become relatively mature. The Government will also explore ways to enhance regional cooperation to increase the supply of zero-carbon energy. The target is to increase the share of zero-carbon energy in the fuel mix for electricity generation to around 60% to 70% before 2035, and to achieve net-zero electricity generation in Hong Kong before 2050 with the support of continuous technological advancement in using zero-carbon energy for electricity generation.

The Government will strive to grapple with Hong Kong’s geographical and environmental constraints in driving the development of RE by taking the lead in installing RE systems at various buildings and facilities, and developing large-scale solar energy generation and waste-to-energy projects, etc. at suitable locations. As regards the private sector, the Government has introduced the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) Scheme and a number of supporting measures, such as facilitating the installation of solar energy generation systems in open car parks by the private sector and establishing appropriate non-combustibility requirement and standard for building-integrated photovoltaics systems in order to encourage various sectors of the community to develop RE at their premises. These measures will help to meet our target to increase the share of RE in the fuel mix for electricity generation from less than 1% at present to 7.5% to 10% by 2035, and further increase it to 15% subsequently through facilitating local projects, regional cooperation and joint ventures, etc.

Reducing Our "Carbon Footprint"

The most direct and effective method of reducing our "carbon footprint", or the extent to which our activities produce greenhouse gases, is to enhance the overall energy efficiency of our society.

Promoting Energy Saving

Being an international financial and commercial centre, the majority of Hong Kong citizens’ daily activities take place in skyscrapers.  The resulting use of air-conditioners, lifts, lighting and various electrical appliances consumes a large amount of energy. Buildings account for about 90% of Hong Kong’s total electricity consumption, and over 50% of our carbon emissions is attributable to generating electricity for our buildings.

The Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (Cap. 610) requires 13 types of buildings to comply with the energy efficiency standards of building services installations (including air-conditioning, electrical, lighting, lift, and escalator installation) stipulated in the Code of Practice for Energy Efficiency of Building Services Installation when they are newly constructed or undergoing major retrofitting works. The Ordinance also requires two types of buildings to conduct energy audits in accordance with the Code of Practice for Building Energy Audit at intervals no longer than 10 years to continuously improve energy efficiency.

• Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance

The Government also promotes various green building and energy saving measures. An example is retro-commissioning, which systematically assesses a building’s energy performance with a view to identifying improvements in operations for energy saving.

• Retro-commissioning Resources Centre

To further facilitate the public in choosing energy efficient appliances and raise public awareness on energy saving, the Government has introduced the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS) in 2008 through the Energy Efficiency (Labelling of Products) Ordinance, Cap. 598. Under the MEELS, energy labels are required to be shown on the prescribed products for supply in Hong Kong, China, to inform consumers of their energy efficiency performance.

Currently, the MEELS covers 11 prescribed products including room air conditioners, refrigerating appliances, compact fluorescent lamps, washing machines, dehumidifiers, televisions, storage type electric water heaters, induction cookers, LED lamps, gas cookers and gas instantaneous water heaters. The Government reviews the scope of MEELS and the grading standards from time to time.

• Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme

To align with the sustainable and environmentally-friendly development of the Kai Tak Development (KTD), the Government has implemented a district cooling system (DCS) in KTD to provide chilled water for air conditioning in non-domestic facilities in the area. The Kai Tak DCS, which consists of three plants, is an energy-efficient air-conditioning solution. Compared to individual traditional air-cooled and water-cooled air-conditioning systems, the DCS consumes 35% and 20% less electricity respectively. Upon full utilisation of DCS in KTD, it is estimated that the annual saving in electricity consumption will reach 138 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), resulting in a corresponding reduction of 96,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per annum. Moreover, the DCS projects in Kwu Tung North New Development Area, Tung Chung New Town Extension (East), and Hung Shui Kiu/ Ha Tsuen New Development Area are also currently underway. For other new development areas, the Government will encourage participation of non-governmental organisations and private developers in implementing smaller-scale DCS or centralised multi-building cooling systems, with a view to promoting energy efficiency and mitigating the heat island effect in the areas.

In 2008, the Government launched a set of carbon audit guidelines for buildings. Users and managers of buildings can use the guidelines to assess the carbon emissions from their buildings, to explore room for improvement and to develop emission reduction measures so that their buildings can leave a smaller carbon footprint with less operating expenses through improving energy efficiency and waste reduction. The Government has been promoting carbon audit and taking the lead to conduct carbon audits for government buildings and public facilities. From 2017-18, bureaux and departments have started conducting regular carbon audits on major government buildings and will disclose their audit results.

To further enhance the Government's carbon management efforts, the Government is progressively extending the carbon audit practice to typical major government infrastructure, including water treatment works, sewage treatment facilities, fresh water and salt water pumping facilities, road lighting systems and ventilation systems at public transport interchanges, etc. The results of the carbon audits will not only help relevant B/Ds formulate carbon reduction strategies for the above infrastructure and similar facilities, but will also assist them in establishing a mechanism and guidelines for conducting carbon audits, which will in turn facilitate the carbon management efforts for other infrastructure in the future.

Using Energy-efficient Transport and Cleaner Vehicles

In terms of transportation, the Government is aware that the use of our extensive and energy-efficient public transport system and the use of cleaner vehicles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is committed to further expanding and upgrading our public transport infrastructure with an emphasis on railways, and encouraging the use of cleaner vehicles. Going forward, we will facilitate walking as well as continue to provide a safe, efficient, reliable and environment-friendly transport system with multi-modal choices that meets the community’s needs.

In recent years, the Government has been focusing on promoting new energy vehicles, as well as establishing ancillary facilities to accelerate the development of green transport in pursuit of zero-carbon transportation. The New Energy Transport Fund (NET Fund, formerly named Pilot Green Transport Fund) was set up by the Government in March 2011 to provide subsidies for transport operators and charitable / non-profit making organisations to test green innovative transport technologies. The scope was expanded in 2020 to support direct purchase of products of the technologies that have been proven relatively mature and suitable for local adoption. The NET Fund allocation is HK$1,100 million. The trials for electric commercial vehicles approved under the NET Fund include light goods vehicles, medium goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, single-deck buses, double-deck buses, light buses, taxis, motor cycles and special purpose vehicles. They also include electric vessels and hybrid commercial vehicles, etc.

The Government in March 2021 announced the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles (the Roadmap). The Roadmap will guide Hong Kong's future direction to attain zero vehicular emissions before 2050, and forges ahead with the vision of 'Zero Carbon Emissions ‧ Clean Air ‧ Smart City'. The Government in December 2024 announced the Green Transformation Roadmap of Public Buses and Taxis, outlining the future direction and policy objectives aiming for the green transformation of buses and taxis in an orderly manner. We have introduced various supporting measures, including earmarking HK$135 million and about HK$470 million respectively under the NET Fund to subsidise the purchase of 3 000 electric taxis by the taxi trade and about 600 electric buses by the franchised bus operators.

Adapting to Climate Change

While Hong Kong has a strong foundation in climate adaptation, we are improving the knowledge- sharing and coordination framework to strengthen Hong Kong’s overall climate resilience. We will continue to strengthen the urban fabric and slope safety. We have also been integrating drainage and flood management projects with good landscaping so as to upgrade their amenity and biodiversity value. To combat extreme heat, we actively promote urban forestry development and green buildings. Furthermore, by recycling treated sewage effluent and grey water and harvesting rainwater plus implementing desalination, Hong Kong has increased its sources of water. We have been implementing suitable improvement works and formulating management measures for some coastal low-lying or windy locations in order of priority to cope with sea level rise and storm surge increase, taking into account the latest development of climate change.

More information related to climate adaptation is available through the following links.

Climate Change and Ecosystems

The Paris Agreement recognises the critical importance of forests as carbon sinks and specifically calls for protection of forests, as well as maintenance of ecosystems. Enhancing ecosystems and appropriate landscaping in urban areas can help to deal with climate change. We will continue to protect and enhance the country parks, and have formulated a long-term programme to promote urban forestry and ecology, which will also help to cool the city as temperature rises as a result of climate change.

Joint Hands in Combating Climate Change

The impacts of climate change and the efforts to combat climate change touch on every part of our lives. To achieve carbon neutrality, public participation is necessary for promoting low-carbon transformation through the adoption of zero-carbon and new energy, energy conservation and waste reduction and recycling, etc, in different sectors of the community. The Carbon Neutrality Publicity Campaign was rolled out in 2022 to raise public awareness on the imminence of climate change, to instil a sense of urgency to change their habits and reduce carbon emission together, and to engage different stakeholders in the community to encourage the public to transform carbon reduction awareness into action and practise low-carbon living together for the common goal of Carbon Neutrality.

Greenhouse gas emissions make no distinction between local, national or regional boundaries, and the fight against climate change requires concerted global action. Hong Kong has always taken its international responsibilities very seriously. Hong Kong is a Steering Committee member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. This coalition of cities from different corners of the world has pledged to work hand-in-hand towards enhancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, with a view to combating climate change.

Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong

In pursuit of carbon neutrality, the world is expediting the development of green and low-carbon energy. Hydrogen energy is a promising new energy source with a wide range of application. Though the scarce land resources and dense population have rendered it difficult for Hong Kong to develop into a major manufacturing base for green energy, we can still promote green transformation by leveraging hydrogen energy in our attempt to strive towards carbon neutrality. As an international city, Hong Kong can also serve as a demonstration platform for green and low-carbon technologies, and facilitate the export of technologies and products developed in the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong. As an international financial centre, Hong Kong can even help provide green financing and professional services for the green transformation in different areas and regions.

In view of the opportunities and challenges of hydrogen energy development, the Government has made top-level planning in the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong announced in 2024. To establish a regulatory framework governing the importation, manufacture, storage, transport, supply and use of hydrogen that is used or intended to be used as fuel, the Gas Safety (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 was passed by the Legislative Council and gazetted in July 2025. The Government will introduce subsidiary legislation on the regulation of "regulated hydrogen" into the Legislative Council for negative vetting within 2026. To promote application of hydrogen energy, 32 hydrogen energy trial projects are underway or under preparation. These projects cover, among other things, hydrogen buses, hydrogen street washing vehicles and a public hydrogen filling station in the New Territories. We will formulate hydrogen standard certification, establish public hydrogen filling facilities on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon, press ahead with more trial projects, and develop the GBA Hydrogen Corridor in collaboration with the Guangdong Province.

Assess My Carbon Emissions

The Government has launched the “Low Carbon Living Calculator” to help the public assess and learn how to reduce their carbon emissions in respect of clothing, food, living and commuting, thereby promoting behavioural change towards low-carbon living.

• Low Carbon Living Calculator

How You can Help Combat Climate Change

We believe that we do not have to think big to make a big impact. In Hong Kong, much can be done in our civic infrastructure and the way we live our lives to help combat climate change.

Here are some simple acts everyone can do to make a difference:

• Switch to LED lights;
• Use energy efficient appliances (such as those with Grade 1 energy labels);
• Turn off appliances when they are not in use;
• Maintain temperature setting of air-conditioner at 24-26°C;
• Use public transportation;
• Recycle paper, metals, plastics, glass containers, rechargeable batteries, fluorescent lamps and tubes, regulated electrical equipment, small electrical appliances and beverage cartons at GREEN@COMMUNITY and
• Install a low-flow shower-head and take shorter showers.

The following links will take you to tips on what you can do to combat climate change and reduce your own "carbon footprint" at home, in the office and when you are travelling.