【COP27】What Should Hong Kong Do in the Race to Adapt to Climate Change?
2023-01-09
Carly Leung (CarbonCare InnoLab Youth Delegates to COP27)
The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) concluded in November. Countries agreed for the first time to establish a "loss and damage" fund to assist vulnerable countries in dealing with the damaging effects of global warming. However, the outcome of the conference was insufficient. As millions of people around the world are already feeling the economic, social, and ecological effects of climate change, countries must coordinate and implement adaptation and resilience solutions.
Historically, COPs have primarily focused on climate mitigation, which means increasing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. On the other hand, climate disasters are becoming more common with each passing year, and adaptation - preparing for and adapting to climate impacts - is capturing a growing share of the world's attention.
A record-breaking heatwave in the United Kingdom, flooding in Pakistan, storms across Southern Africa, and other extreme weather events have occurred last year. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stated that an annual mobilization of USD 140 to USD 300 billion from public and private sources is required for adaptation. The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2022 Adaptation Gap Report has warned that if climate change accelerates, that figure could rise to USD 565 billion by 2050.
At COP27, a series of workshops were held under the Glasgow Sharm El-Sheikh Work Programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation, which was established in COP26, to advance negotiations for the development of a framework by 2023. The framework would assess current progress toward the global goal and feed its findings into a global stocktake – a process for taking stock of the implementation of the Paris Agreement that would conclude next year.
Simultaneously, some modest progress in adaptation finance was made. The European Commission announced a new $1 billion program to support adaptation in Africa, as well as new pledges of more than $315 million to the Adaptation Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund, and the Special Climate Change Fund.
Meanwhile, the most notable progress was the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, launched by the COP27 Presidency in collaboration with the High-Level Champions and the Marrakech Partnership in response to the devastating effects of climate change on vulnerable people all over the world. It outlines 30 Adaptation Outcomes aimed at increasing resilience for the 4 billion people living in the most climate-vulnerable communities by 2030.
Even though progress has been made, we need to speed up the implementation. According to an analysis published by the IPCC AR6 WG II Report, nearly half of the world's population will be at risk of severe climate change impacts by 2030, even in a 1.5°C world. The warning is clear and we need to act fast.
Nature-based solutions, also known as ecosystem-based adaptation, are increasingly recognized as critical for assisting the world in adapting to climate change. For the first time, the term "nature-based solutions" appears in the final agreed text of last year's COP. To combat the effects of climate change, Hong Kong has to consider this approach as a priority for adaptation.
Before Hong Kong considers adopting nature-based solutions to climate change, it needs to do its homework. To start with, at the city level, we should implement an integrated and transparent "Climate Vulnerability Assessment" and conduct a worst-case scenario environmental assessment during extreme weather events. The assessment aims to identify climate risk areas as well as the best solutions to these environmental problems in terms of city planning and other adaptation measures.
In order to increase climate resilience for urban developments, we must review existing town planning guidelines and regulations, such as the "Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines" ("HKPSG"), and rezone appropriate land use zonings in high-risk areas identified through a city-level climate vulnerability assessment.
Furthermore, the government must preserve and implement blue-green infrastructure throughout the city to reduce urban heat island effects and maximize carbon sink and flood prevention capacity. Providing emergency response facilities as needed to improve the city's preparedness and climate resilience.
In terms of financing, the government has promised to allocate HK$240 billion (US$43 billion) over the next 15-20 years for climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, in order to achieve meaningful results, the government must be transparent regarding the funding allocation to reduce emissions.
My most important takeaway from COP27 is to acknowledge the significance of our local actions and to bridge the gap to the international stage. At COP27, many countries were unwilling to agree on the targets needed to put the world on a 1.5-degree trajectory. As a city with a significant global footprint, Hong Kong has a role to play in tackling climate change. It is time for the government to demonstrate the commitment as promised in the Climate Action Plan 2050 by establishing ambitious climate key performance indicators and a clear road map for reaching carbon neutrality by 2030.