Climate Change: Towards Carbon Neutrality
The impacts of global warming have been felt in every corner of the world. We just had a super warm Chinese New Year here in Hong Kong, didn’t we? If the world does not take immediate and necessary actions to tackle the climate crisis, climate change will certainly pose drastic consequences for our future generations. We, as professional urbanists, need to be constantly reminded of the urgency of climate change, and that we can play a role in combating it.
What is Climate Change? | Start Here
Reporter: Sandra Gathmann, Al Jazeera Media Network
What is the meaning of ‘Carbon Neutral’, ‘Net Zero’ and ‘Climate Neutral’?
In the battle to curb climate change, 174 states and the European Union have signed the Paris Agreement in 2015 with an aim to limit global warming to preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. In Hong Kong, the Government released the “Climate Action Plan 2030+” in early 2017, setting out a carbon emissions reduction target for 2030. Indeed, reducing the carbon footprint of a city down to net zero requires big changes on all aspects. Wait a minute -- there is a difference amongst ‘carbon neutral’, ‘net zero’ and ‘climate neutral’. Can you tell the difference?
Speaker: Barbara Albert, Co-CEO of 100% Renewables PTY Limited
Unleash the Power of Cities
City planners shall not forget, that cities can be a solution in addressing climate change! In the following video, the speakers shared their thoughts on how cities should become a key driver in combating climate change:
Speakers: Andrew Steer, President and CEO of World Resources Institute, et al.
In the recently announced 2021-22 Budget, the Hong Kong Government indicates that it will endeavor to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, and Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan will be updated later this year. For now, let’s have a look at some overseas examples of moving towards carbon neutrality at city-level:
Becoming a Carbon Neutral City | Phoenix
Publisher: City of Phoenix, AZ, USA
Copenhagen: Creating the World's First Carbon Neutral Capital
Publisher: The B1M
Climate control: Stockholm named world’s smartest city as it aims for climate positive footprint
Reporter: Cyril Fourneris, Euronews funded by the European Union
Next, let’s have a look at how countries and states endeavor to achieve carbon neutrality:
Europe's plan to become the first carbon-neutral continent | Ursula von der Leyen
Speaker: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
China’s Next Economic Transformation: Going Carbon Neutral by 2060 | WSJ
Publisher: Wall Street Journal
In the upcoming issues, we will explore more aspects of, and solutions for, climate change. Please stay tuned!