The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

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Past Event

2021-10-12

The Launch of the Hong Kong Youth Statement on Climate Actions

On October 12, 2021 (Tuesday), CarbonCare InnoLab (CCIL) successfully held the Press Conference of the COP26 Youth Delegates’ Hong Kong Youth Statement on Climate Actions at Room 103, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building. CCIL will attend COP26 to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, UK with six COP26 Hong Kong Youth Delegates between 31st October and 12 November 2021. The six delegates pledge to submit the “Hong Kong Youth Statement on Climate Actions” (the Statement) with 1,000 people signatures to the international platform, aiming to attract the attention of Hong Kong and relevant stakeholders on climate change issues.

In the press conference, Mr. Chong Chan Yau, Co-founder and CEO of CCIL and Dr. Alissa Tung, Programme Director of CCIL and the six COP26 Hong Kong Youth Delegates met with the media. During the opening remark, Dr. Alissa Tung mentioned that the United Nations Climate Change Conference reviews the contracting parties’ progresses of carbon reduction every five years, and this year will be paramount and the first review since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015. Parties will assess the progress of carbon reduction, learn from failures and revise the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the coming COP26 conference. Therefore, in order to urge the nations to act proactively, youths around the globe seize this opportunity to voice their opinions before the nations submit their updated NDCs.

In shaping response to climate change, the United Nations underlined the significance of listening to youth and allowing them to contribute to climate actions. Therefore, CCIL fully supports six Hong Kong youth delegates, and hope they will bring back their experience and insights from COP26 and share with other Hong Kong youth. It will hopefully build up the momentum of youth participation in sustainability policy of Hong Kong in the future.

One of the representatives of COP26 Hong Kong Youth Delegates announced the Statement first to urge the Hong Kong Government for more ambitious and firm actions in combating climate change. Then the other five delegates took turns to explain their demands in detail and also responded to the “Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050” published by the Hong Kong government recently. They think the Hong Kong government should set Hong Kong climate actions based on a scientific based target. They also urged the government to take climate actions more swiftly and formulate a more thorough action plan. The Hong Kong Youth Statement on Climate Actions will be submitted to the UN Youth constituency “YOUNGO” and to Mr. Wong Kam Sing, the Secretary for the Environment.

Mr. Chong reiterated that climate change is indeed a climate “crisis”, so the Hong Kong government should declare a climate emergency in Hong Kong. He also encouraged the six COP26 Hong Kong Youth Delegates to voice their opinions on climate action to the decision makers along with youths around the world.

There are 5 major demands of “The Hong Kong Youth Statement on Climate Actions” as followed:

  1. Declare Climate Emergency in Hong Kong
  2. Pledge to reach net-zero emissions in the 2040s or sooner, in line with the global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C
  3. Increase the proportion of renewable energy in the energy portfolio to 20% by 2030 and elevate the proportion of solar energy to 10% at the same time.
  4. Contribute to a Green Climate Fund by the UNFCCC, and assess the feasibility of carbon pricing and carbon tax in Hong Kong
  5. Identify the climate impacts of 1.5°C temperature rise in Hong Kong and develop contingency plans that ensure those who are most vulnerable can be protected accordingly.

Through the Youth Statement on Climate Action, we hope that climate mitigation and adaptation strategies could be developed accordingly to ensure Hong Kong a liveable, prosperous and sustainable future.

Click here for the “Hong Kong Youth Statement on Climate Actions”: Here


 
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