New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Gazing into Hong Kong’s net zero future
4/6/2025
8 min read
Feature
This dynamic East Asia financial hub set a new course of action in 2021, and is making progress, but the target remains a stretch, local experts including from the Energy Institute’s Hong Kong Branch tell New Energy World Senior Editor Will Dalrymple.
Although Hong Kong, the southern Chinese island city of over seven million population, had been setting environmental goals for many years, 2021 marked a ‘notable shift towards more ambitious climate goals’, according to Ir Professor Vivien Lu, Professor at the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and a past Chairman of the Energy Institute’s Hong Kong Branch.
2021 was the year it set a course for net zero emissions by 2050 with its Climate Action Plan 2050. That plan includes an incremental target of halving emissions by 2035. Accomplishing this goal requires significant efforts in energy conservation, adoption of renewable energy and improvements in technology, she says.
But there are great benefits from doing so, points out Lam Ka Ho (Polex) MEI, Managing Director of Lianhe Green Development. Because that target is 10 years sooner than the one declared by mainland China, it potentially makes Hong Kong a regional leader in decarbonisation in China and the wider region. ‘Collaboration across sectors, technological innovation and stronger policy support will be critical for bridging the gap and ensuring success,’ he says.